Elegy of Entrapment
by animeluver2112
Summary: "Do you promise?" "I just swore to it, did I not?" "It means nothing. How can I know for sure?" A coy, deadly smirk came to Hannibal Lecter's face. "You can't."
1. Chapter 1

Hello there! I know the new show, Hannibal, just began, but I can't believe someone hasn't started a story or two! If they have, I couldn't find it. So this is me, breaking down the doors with fearful excitement. This was originally just a one-shot, but depending on the feedback, I might create a story out of it. Please tell me what you think! I hope it isn't too awful.  
I do not own any characters of Hannibal,

Only little Anna.

**_Tai tik pradžia_**

* * *

_She could see them, in the corner of her eye._  
_Nervous, shifting. _  
_Not knowing what to do with her_.

_"She is the most intelligent woman I have ever met. Her IQ is off the charts-"_  
_"She's dangerous, Erik! How does a thirty-something woman escape a serial killer, single-handeded?"_

"Miss Astor, do you believe you are of sound mind and body?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"And you fully commit to the killing of Roger Andrews, one of your two captives?"  
"Yes, sir."  
"The man was found with two intricate cuts through his chest, opening the thoracic cavity. Miss Astor, Roger Andrews' heart was missing. Can you tell us where it is?"

A slow, frightening smile curled Anna Astor's lips. Blue eyes glanced down as she crossed her legs, cradling slender hands in her lap. "Yes, I can."

"Where is his heart, then?" The detective asked, breath catching as those sharp eyes rose to his face, deadly smirk still in place.

"I ate it."

* * *

"I still don't understand why they want to enlarge our group of freaks anyway. No one, especially a _woman_, is cut out for this sort of work." Will Graham complained in a mutter, hands delved into deep pockets. The two found themselves walking down a boardwalk, heading to an overpriced café.

This is where they would find their new coworker.

"That is very sexist of you, Will." A coy voice returned. Graham scowled at the tall doctor. "The mental capacity of women is just as strong as a man's, if not more so. Crawford said this woman has over three master's in-"

"That's not what I meant," Graham snapped. Impervious eyes watched as the man attempted to calm himself, sucking down a deep breath. They had reached the café, with three tables outside and two more within.

"What I mean is that no one should have to work the jobs we do. It isn't healthy for people in general to be exposed to such brutal violence."

_"On the contrary, Mr. Graham, violence is the only constant in this world,"_

The two men tensed, looking for the new voice.

_"Throughout history, peace and love were always hoped for, but violence was the constant; the crouching tiger, waiting to strike."_

Hannibal had located her quicker than Graham, nudging his partner upon sight.

Long, shining brown curls trailed from a wide-rimmed ebony hat, one that obscured the woman's eyes.

What Hannibal and Graham did notice, however, were those thin, blood-red lips.

_"In the end, it comes down to this_," She concluded, placing a delicate teacup on a matching saucer. Two crystalline eyes found them, bright and amused, "Can my violence overtake yours?"

"Anna Astor," Graham stated. Miss Astor smiled. "Please, just Anna,"

"Well, 'Just Anna,' that is an interesting theory," Hannibal almost teased, relaxing in the seat directly across from her. The brunette watched as he brought a long leg up, resting it against the opposite knee at the ankle. The man was broad-chested and firm, with jutting cheek bones and sharp features. Already he seemed at ease with her; unlike the other, more nervous detective. Graham was pulling a chair over, sitting as far as possible from either doctor. Anna shrugged.

"I am Dr. Hannibal Lecter, and this is Special Agent Will Graham,"  
"A pleasure to meet you both."  
"I heard you escaped a psychopathic killer," Graham finally spoke up. Anna '_hmm_'ed,' seeming uninterested. _Where did that waiter drift off to?_

"How did you do it?"

"I bid my time until he left to urinate, then beat my hands against the bed frame til they bled. Upon his return I whimpered pitifully and he untied me, cleaning my slashed wrists. When he went to pick up a bandage, I reached for and proceeded to twist his scrotum until he screamed, dropping his guard of the gun in his front left pocket. I shot him once through the cranium."

"Did you call the police?" Hannibal interrupted.

To say he was intrigued was an understatement. The woman was maybe one-hundred and twenty pounds, no taller than five six. The thought of such a small being overtaking a killer was admirable.

"No."  
"Why not?"  
"I was not finished." Anna answered, simply. Red lips paused to sip coffee, noting Graham's incredulous stare.

"Well then, what did you do?"

Blue eyes bore into the distance, unblinking.

"I used his knife to make two incisions through his chest, cut his heart out, and cooked it for dinner."

She was not surprised by the silence that followed.

What did surprise her, however, was the look of sheer pleasure on Dr. Lecter's face.

"What…Why the hell would you do that?" Graham hissed. Long lashes were slow to blink in response.

Finally Anna Astor shrugged, throwing a fifty on the table and standing.

"Like I asked, detective. Can my violence overtake yours?"

* * *

It didn't take long to answer that question.

Graham was hesitant and tortured, blinded by his dreams, locked in his own mind. Astor could smell his fear like an overdone quiche.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter, however, was the complete opposite of the trio.

Always cordial, polite. Lecter constantly spoiled Anna, from holding every door open to bringing her delicious meals.

Meals which always brought back the taste of one previous feast, in particular.

Curved legs were standing at the sink, hands nimbly washing a container. Artichoke 'heart' salad, with diced meat and tomatoes. It was a tasteless joke that made her chuckle as she washed away dressing from the rim of the bowl.

"Something is funny, An-na?" He enunciated, a mere shadow upon the wall. Anna turned with a sudden smirk.

"Just a pity laugh at your 'heartless' joke."

"An-na, I'm hurt. Here I make you _skanus_ delicacies from my own kitchen, and you injure me so?" His accented sarcasm made her laugh. Hannibal allowed the slightest of smiles.

"Where do you live, anyway?" Blue eyes glanced up, trying to be nonchalant.

A slow, knowing smirk curled thin lips, and Anna shivered.

"Would you like to find out?"

* * *

For the first time in eight months, Anna Astor was nervous.

Hannibal Lecter's house was classic and as intimidating as he was. Black heels resounded off the sidewalk, swallowed in the impeding silence.  
One simple, deep note rang out from the doorbell. A hand flitted to her waved, curling hair, smoothing any flyaways.

Why was she so nervous?

_Because you know what he does. Deep down, you've known all along._

"Hello, An-na," Hannibal's deep voice startled her. His smile grew with her little jump, head spinning to him. Surprisingly, he wasn't in one of his "unique" suits. The doctor almost looked out of place in black slacks and a white button-down, sleeves rolled to his forearms. "Have I frightened you?"

"That isn't quite the word I would use," Anna answered, stepping through the doorway. Warm fingers slid the coat from her shoulders, revealing a form-fitting black lace dress. A darkened beige material protected her body from sight under the lace, cut in a sweetheart top and barely reaching halfway down her thigh.

"Sorry if it is too much," Anna noted, tucking hair behind her ear. That stomach-lurching smile-smirk returned to his lips.

"No, you look beautiful."

Her shy smile gave him a sudden euphoric high. Hannibal Lecter inhaled a silent breath. He offered a hand and Anna easily took it, allowing him to lead her around his home.

Everything about his house was a mixture of modern and classic, from the high tech shower to the Victorian "parlor" furniture.

His kitchen was top-notch and spotless, leading through a swinging door to an elegant table set for two.

"Oh dear, candles? Is this a date? Good thing I dressed appropriately," The brunette teased, looking up at the chuckling psychoanalyst.

"I thought they would be a nice touch, in case I crossed a line and you needed to burn my house down." Color filled her cheeks as Hannibal smiled pleasantly. Carefully he pulled her chair out, just grazing the skin of her neck with his fingertips upon his exit.

Cerulean eyes were swiveling around the walls, a soft smile on her lips, when he returned. Lecter almost stopped simply to admire her, unused to an unguarded Anna Astor.

"_An-na,_" His voice resounded, deep, raspier than expected. A remarkable beam met his call.

"Mmm," Anna breathed in the scent wafting from the soup, trying to determine its contents. _Golden broth, onions, potatoes_-

"What is this meat?" Her voice achingly nonchalant. Lecter had seated himself across from her, leaning back in a cherry wood chair.

All the reply she received was a coy, turned smile.

Eyes never leaving the mysterious doctor's,

Anna Astor brought the spoon to her lips and sucked the meat into her mouth.

* * *

Hannibal Lector had never met a woman quite like Anna.

He was no novice of seduction, or of the bedroom, but never longer than a night, two at the most.

With Anna, the thought of a one-night stand seemed utterly appalling.

She was intelligent and charming, like a snake in the grass. A deadly sort of beautiful that reeled you in, only to suck the very blood from your veins.

And then there were those subliminal moments where the charm wore away, when no one was looking.

She despised women and rudeness. He had only once caught her in slacks, often residing instead in summer dresses and wispy tops. Her eyebrows naturally arched, the identical color of her chestnut hair. Anna's jaw was strong and square, revealing perfect planes of skin as cheeks. She took great pleasure in aggravating Graham and teasing himself, running cool fingers across his face or pulling on his tie.

And that hunger, fed by the very heart of her kidnapper.

* * *

Hannibal Lecter wasn't just lustful for Anna Astor; he was infatuated with her.

* * *

"Have you ever tasted a sautéed strawberry?" He asked, entering the dining room once more.

This time, sitting beside the woman rather than across.

In one hand he carried two crystal wine flutes, the other a gold-rimmed plate. Curls bounced gently as Anna shook her head no, fingers cool on his as she took the flutes. Hannibal remained with the plate, selecting a ripened fruit with clever fingers.

"Open your mouth," The accented demand was low and gentle. Anna complied, never breaking eye contact. It was as if she were testing him, the way those unwavering blue orbs followed his every move.

She had eaten the soup of liver without another question after the first, nearly smirking by the lung-steak _tartare_.

And now, as he placed the strawberry between her lips, pearls pulling it from the fork,

Hannibal Lecter was positive she understood.

A streak of red dribbled from her lips and his thumb caught it, holding her cheek as he did so.

Those piercing eyes stopped him from kissing her right then.

"Hannibal," Anna's voice was strong but soft, almost sympathetic. "Hannibal, are you going to kill me?"

"Why would I ever want to do that?" He murmured, letting fingers glide from her cheek to a swan's neck. Easily they fit around the downy beginnings of her hair, arching her forward just the slightest.

"I know what you do, Hannibal. I know what you want," She began, unalarmed.

If need be, she could and would kill him. She had done it before; she could do it again. Even if it was the charming doctor she felt so strongly for.

"I want you, _mylimoji_ Anna," Hannibal breathed against her mouth. Anna fought the urge to close her eyes as fingers caressed her hair, tickling her back. "I want you with me, to talk and dine and be with me. _Noriu su tavimi mylėtis_, Anna," His words pressed to the skin of her ear, her cheek. Little hands grasped at his chest, his shirt, caught between pulling him closer and pushing him away.

"Not as what you think, Anna. Not as an easy pursuit or -"  
"A meal?" She managed, forcing her eyes open again. Hannibal pulled away just the slightest, letting her catch the lopsided smirk-grin twitching his lips.

"Oh, An-na. Anna, Anna, never. Never you, I swear to you."

The slender, beautiful brunette, with the thicket of hair and curved body, narrowed her eyes.

"Do you promise?"  
"I just swore to it, didn't I?"  
"It means nothing. How can I know for sure?"

A coy, deadly smirk came to Hannibal Lector's face.

**_"You can't."_**

* * *

_Tell me how I did! Should I continue it as a story?_


	2. Chapter 2

Hello again! I was too excited to sit around and wait for Thursday to come, so I wrote a little chapter to bide time. As you will see, it is more in Graham's point of view than anyone's. Please enjoy and send me some feedback! I greatly enjoy all advice and comments. I do not claim any Hannibal character as my own. I would, however, enjoy my own Mads Mikkelsen. So if anyone wants to go kidnap him for me, that'd be great.

* * *

If there was one thing Will Graham was sure about, it was numbers.

Numbers were infinite, precise. There were no exceptions to numbers; they were the firm foundation of the universe. The constant in life that he could always rely on to not change.

If only he could apply the same theory to humans.

"Good morning, William," Anna Astor greeted, already smirking as she arrived fifteen minutes earlier to work than promised. The over-exaggerated sigh that escaped him only furthered her pleasure.

"You know I hate when people call me that."  
"Why, no, I didn't know! Why ever does it bother you, _William_?" Anna returned with feigned innocence. Graham glared and the woman chuckled, fiddling with her laptop.

It had been only sixteen days since he and Lecter met Anna Astor at the café. Sixteen bizarre days of working hands-on with the creepy psychoanalyst and confusing doctor, both eerily calm and cordial at the strangest of times, always exchanging secret glances. It was as if they had some inside secret Graham was left out of, perhaps a plot.

They probably planned to skin him and eat his meaty insides. He wouldn't be surprised.

"Do you know if Agent Crawford is here, yet?" Anna asked, blue eyes lazily trained on the pale light of her computer. Graham suddenly sat straighter, brows furrowing.

"You're shaking."

The instant withdrawal of her arms confirmed his statement. It was too late anyway: he had seen. Small quivers were shaking through her fingertips, tremors before an earthquake. "What's wrong with you?"

"I am just tired, is all." Came her quiet reply. Graham watched her, skeptical, and then it happened.

That tender, teasing face turned to stone, jaw gaunt, body tense. Anna Astor now looked like an entirely different creature, one ready to run at an instant's notice.  
Alien.

"Drop it."

Graham raised his hands in surrender. What the hell did he care if she was sick, or God forbid hungry? Let her starve and shake.

"_Sveiki._ Am I late?" Graham's gaze tore away to find Hannibal in the doorway, dressed in an articulate suit per usual. The doctor's face seemed calm, more pleasant, than before. Graham shot Anna a look only to find her transfixed once more by the laptop. Her jaw, mildly clenched, began to soften.

"No, you're not. I always try to get a head start on the day, and Astor skipped breakfast." Anna's eyes shot up then, glaring fiercely as she was tattled on. What the hell was Graham's problem today? Half the time he didn't even acknowledge her existence, and now he was some kind of doting mother?

Hannibal clicked his tongue in dismay, shaking his head.

"An-na, it is not healthy to skip meals. You as a doctor should know this best."  
"My alarm didn't go off. I didn't have time."  
"There are no excuses when it comes to nutrition, An-na."

The way they looked at each other then, the unspoken words. Graham felt the connection he was so obviously exempt from like an iron curtain. He stood abruptly, knocking over an open bottle of aspirin. "Whoops."  
With a sigh, the only woman of the trio fell to her knees, catching white capsules with manicured nails.

"Accidents happen, Graham, but with you it seems more of a habit."  
"Hn."  
"Could it be a cry for attention, perhaps?" Hannibal questioned in that psychiatry-way of his. He too knelt by Anna, carefully nitpicking the carpet.

Anna reached for the last pill as Lecter did, small hand lost under longer fingers. Graham had never noticed just how thin Astor was compared to either of them, kneeling side by side. Her body was easily shadowed by Hannibal's larger form.  
Neither agent had moved for a moment, eyes slow to turn. Graham was just about to make a snarky comment when something unexpected occurred.

Anna Astor pulled her hand away.

"I'm going to the lounge," The brunette muttered. She retracted and stood so quickly agent Graham's eyes had barely refocused, looking up to locate her. Before either he or Lecter could comment Anna was out the door, shining hair slapping the wall from her quick pace.

The two men now knelt in silence, unsure of how to react.

Finally Hannibal stood, heading to the door without a word.

_Why can't people just be like numbers._


	3. Chapter 3

So did anyone else find this week's episode entirely too short? I felt like it was over in ten minutes! And with so little Hannibal too. Hannibal, to which I do not own. Just the enigmatic Anna. The next chapter will hopefully pick up speed on the plot. I am so thankful for anyone who takes time to read my story. I truly love reviews to see if people are liking the way it's going, and any grammatical catches or Lithuanian mishaps. Thank you to the stars and back for all readers.

* * *

_"Do you promise?"_  
_"I just swore to it, didn't I?"_  
_"It means nothing. How can I know for sure?"_

_"__**You can't.**__"_

A shiver ran down Anna's spine at the memory. From habit her fingers massaged the curved bones outside her eyes, inhaling a deep breath.

The way he had looked at her that night, the way he spoke. After their meal he checked the time and asked if she wanted to leave, noting work the next day.  
He walked her out, opening her car door, and with a smile, bid her a good night. No pressure, no force. It was thing Anna Astor was not used to.

She knew what he did, what he was capable of. He had sworn to never kill her, to take her organs and serve them as entrees. The same oath normal men would take to never be unfaithful, or eat your leftovers.

Anna noted the irony of that last part, only leading fingers to dig into her temples further.

"So, you are taking my advice? I cannot vouch that anything from a vending machine will be nutritious, but it is an upgrade nonetheless," His quaint voice echoed through the empty space, to her ears. Anna watched his reflection in the glass. A gentle smile was on his face; one that had been newly added to the few expressions of Dr. Hannibal Lector.

Startling blue orbs finally met his own face to face, pink lips puckered. Hannibal felt his fingers curl in naturally, squeezed into fists before lightly releasing. "Do you have enough change for what you desire?"

"I sincerely doubt it," Anna grudgingly complained. Hannibal's smile grew as he stepped closer. She was leaning back against the glass now, only a foot away.  
"Chips, or chocolate?"

"_š__okoladas_. Chocolate," His answer came, sending another tremor down the woman's spine. His accent was enough to drive her crazy; those soft-spoken, delicately accented words of a foreign language only made it worse. Her mouth fell open for a quick breath and Hannibal struck, moving until his body pressed close to hers. A hand caught the hair over her ear, weaving down to the nape of her neck. His face was so close; all she would have to do is lean up, glide her waist over his, and then…

**_"I will kill you, Hannibal."_** The words hardly sounded her own: baleful, deadly. A quiver ran through Hannibal's chest, fingers clenching the roots of her silken hair. His breath warmed her face, taunting her eyes to close. "I know, _maža _Anna, I know."

Hannibal Lecter's eyes did not waver from hers as his head lowered, hand catching the bone of her jaw.

His pursuit stopped when cold fingers pressed against his lips, blue orbs smirking. The same hand swept across his face and to his ear, teasing the lobe before pulling him down. Anna rose to the tips of her feet and pressed her warm mouth against the sensitive skin between Hannibal's cheek and ear, right hand holding onto the front of his belt for balance. "Did you really think it would be that easy, handsome little Hannibal?"

Hannibal instantly jerked, body tensing as her wet breath licked his skin. Hands caught her waist and Anna chuckled, being drawn closer to the man. A low groan escaped Dr. Lecter's lips when she suddenly pulled away, sliding coins into the vending machine.

Anna Astor had stolen the exact amount of change needed right out of his pants' pocket.

Hannibal muttered to himself in Lithuanian and Anna smirked, careful to bend just the right way. A few sharp words grew in volume at her new tactic, tumbling into her thoughts.

_That was too close. _

* * *

"Lecter, Astor! Here you are."

Agent Jack Crawford stood in the lounge doorway, eyeing the two individually. Anna stood from her bent form, a chocolate bar in hand. Both she and Hannibal smiled lightly, pleasantly. Of all the agents and doctors Agent Crawford had worked with, these two were the most unsettling.

In many ways they were the exact twin of one another, minus certain characteristics. Dr. Lecter was a tall, broad man, with a sharply-shaped face and brown, crinkled eyes. He always appeared almost-smiling, with the sort of charm only European men seemed to possess. Everything about him spoke a reserved sort of intelligence, the type who could be standing in a room for an hour before you noticed.  
When you did, however, he became the main focus of anyone and everyone.

In ways, Dr. Anna Astor was the exact opposite.  
Though only less than half a foot shorter than Hannibal, even lesser with heels, Anna was slight, narrow. Her body seemed to naturally curve between her chest and hips, gifted with an ample behind and long, shining hair. The bones of Anna's face weren't quite as sharp as her counterpart's, but unique with the features of piercing, cat-like eyes and puckering lips. The bottom of her mouth was full, with a gently curving, thinner upper lip. She was a woman of many expressions, though not as quick to genuinely smile. Every look was thought out and deliberate, from the way she raised arched eyebrows to the sexual way she smirked, riling the agent rookies always coming to ogle her. The only time she seemed at ease, with a carefree smile or laugh, happened near Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Will Graham.

And when Hannibal, Graham, and Anna were together, no one was completely comfortable.

"Katz found metal shavings in the body. Graham's idea is to locate nearby steel mills and investigate for suspects. The plan was to head out today, but upon calling we found most mills closed on Mondays. I have business to attend to tomorrow, so you three will be on your own."

"Aww! How disappointing," Anna cooed with a pout. Crawford grinned, waving a hand.  
"Like you'll miss me. You _hate_ when I go."  
"That isn't true! I simply hate when you ride with us."  
"Oh?"  
"You always get the front seat, and that is where I sit. When there's only three of us, Graham usually drives. Hannibal is too much of a gentlemen to steal it from me. If he drives instead, I can just flirt with Graham until he submits. Or, I can sit in the middle and have either man on each side of me. With you, however, I'm afraid my charm won't work."  
Crawford's head tilted slightly. "And why would that be?"

A wicked smile broke across Astor's face, pearly whites gleaming.

"Because you are not interested in cannibals."

* * *

It was silent as shock colored Jack Crawford's face. The brunette laughed, shaking her head. Even Hannibal was looking at her, eyebrows raised.

"You two are so serious! Let's be honest, Jack. You chose me partly for my intelligence, partly for my medical degree, and eighty percent because of what I did in my past, didn't you."

It wasn't a question. Crawford swallowed, stalling. There was no point as the two agents watched him, noting every move he made.

Blue eyes ultimately averted, smile edging away. The woman looked up to Hannibal. "We should probably get going. There's no point in sticking around when tomorrow will be the day of action." The doctor nodded in agreement before politely smiling a goodbye in Crawford's direction.  
Hannibal Lecter led his pretty counterpart to the door, hand on the small of her back as they walked. She busily pulled the body of her hair over one shoulder, brushing a strand out of her vision.

Two cold, cutting eyes ascended on an indifferent face as Anna Astor passed Crawford, freezing his blood. In an instant the moment passed, leaving only the resonated sound of the door shutting behind them.

Jack Crawford let loose a breath he hadn't been aware of holding.

* * *

"Do you think Crawford is afraid of me, handsome Hannibal?" Anna questioned. Her car was currently in the shop and Hannibal offered to drive her home, ever the chivalrous knight as he held the passenger door open.

He had first unlocked the door and held up the front passenger chair, offering a backseat. The pouting, annoyed shock upon her little face made Hannibal smirk, quickly returning the seat's position. She smacked his chest lightly.

"I think he is certainly wary of you, _gana_ Anna," He mused. An unexpected chuckle fell from the woman curled next to him. Hannibal glanced to find her smiling out the window, lost in thought.

Lecter wondered how this one woman could be so different in his eyes compared to the others. What it was that drew him in, feel such a desperate longing for her. _Anna Astor is nothing special, nothing unique_, his conscious willed.

A bright, unrestrained smile turned to him then, lighting the car as she gently tilted her head.

"Hannibal, what is the Lithuanian word for '_handsome_?'"


	4. Chapter 4

People like me, with no life, make good fanfiction addicts. We always update quickly! One a day so for, I think. Maybe two yesterday, but I had to after Hannibal came on. So that doesn't even count. I don't own Hannibal or the characters, only _An-na._ I'm in love with all reviews and followers! I get the goofiest grin when someone new favorites, or follows. And of course reviews. So then I update! :D Good process, yes?

-M

* * *

Anna Astor could not chose between the high-waisted striped skirt, or slacks.

On one hand, they would be in an overheated little car for a chunk of the day; on the other, they might find the psychopathic, meticulous murderer who would jump at the easy access from the skirt. The sleeveless, loose coral top she would tuck into it wouldn't be an upgrade for this problem, either.

However, she caught Hannibal glancing at her more when she wore feminine outfits, equally making Graham squirm in his own awkward way.

Anna chose the skirt.

* * *

"Ah, _sveiki_, Hannibal!" Dr. Lector paused, glancing over his shoulder. He turned when he recognized the figure. Anna Astor was stalking up the walkway in oxford heels, bare legs leading to a black and white bubble skirt tied above the waist. Her chestnut hair curled more than usual, long bangs loosely twisted and pinned to one side.

A great, beautiful smile enveloped her lips as she waved, hurrying to his side.

"_Sveiki_, Anna." His voice came out gruffer than he meant it to be. Anna seemed to figure out why and smirked.

"It appears I made the right choice! Hopefully Graham's reaction is just as good." Hannibal made a noise of dismay and Anna laughed, taking the last few paces up to Will Graham's doorstep. "Did I say hello correctly, Hannibal?"

"Yes, though your accent could use a little work," Anna coyly smiled at him over a tan shoulder.

"I am sure you can help me with that."

The door opened and a rugged Graham joined the duo. He warily watched the doctors on his doorstep, both male and female smiling lightly.

This only proceeded to disturb him more.

"Where's Crawford?"  
"Unfortunately Crawford was needed in court. It will be just the three of us today." Anna noticed how 'th' words from Hannibal always came out with more emphasis on the 't'. Sometimes she wished for a unique accent like his. With a nod of her head the daydreams faltered, being replaced with another cordial smile.

"May we come in?"

The instant Anna Astor entered Will Graham's home, she screamed.

* * *

"Down, down," Graham hissed, pulling on the collar of the newest friend he had picked up off the street. Whining barks met their ears as others still jumped at Anna, standing on hind legs to knock her over. He had never seen any of his dogs act this way. When visitors came, (which wasn't entirely too often) the canines tended to stay away, choosing leisure naps and squeaky toys over attention.

With Anna, however, it was as if she had called every one of them by name.

"_Christ_, William! **_Control your dogs!_**" Hannibal Lecter roared, losing the polite aura he so often wore. A strong arm thrust Anna behind his back, coolly glaring at the multiple animals.

In an instant, Graham's dogs were silent, heads between paws. Blue eyes peaked over Hannibal's shoulder, fingers clenching his jacket. Graham was regretful for the slight trembling that rocked what little he could see of Anna's figure.

"I'm sorry! They've never acted like this before," Graham relented, walking to the patio door and snapping his fingers. Half a dozen dogs followed his call, exiting the room one by one. Graham shut and locked the door tightly. "Anna, I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

The two men had been surprised by her reaction. Astor seemed the type of person who would love animals, not scream as soon as they greeted her.

Of course, there was quite a few of his furry pets, all surrounding her to lick and bark. Shallow breathing began to calm as a body slipped out from behind Dr. Lecter.

"I'm-I'm fine. I just…I haven't had a pleasant history with dogs," The brunette let out. Her hand was over a thumping heart, trying to relax. Hannibal held a slight frown, concerned.

"Come sit, Anna. I've brought breakfast. It will do you good to eat." Anna nodded, allowing the two men to lead her away.

Even with Graham's untrusting notion towards Hannibal and his own ever-annoyed attitude towards the female agent, it would be a lie to say Will didn't care about the well-being of Anna Astor. He couldn't help it: it was always this way with women for him.

* * *

"Some eggs, a little sausage…" Anna was only half listening, cursing the quake still in her fingers. The response she had to the dogs had been utterly appalling. It had been over two decades since she had last been attacked by a dog, and it still haunted her nightmares. She had only been five or six, small for her age, and awed by the wild-looking dog outside her home, with the frosting mouth and strange stagger.

"Anna," The memory quickly diminished, looking up to find Hannibal Lecter watching her.

A fork was poised in his hands, inches away from her lips.

Graham was eating from a bowl of his own, eyes fixated on the table. Anna breathed in deeply and released, opening her mouth and accepting the forkful of egg and sausage. The burst of sweet flavor only awakened her senses more, bright eyes quickly shooting to Hannibal's container, then Graham's. Both held the same contents. Hannibal was smiling to himself, flicking brown eyes to glance at Graham.

The agent lifted a piece of meat to his mouth and ate it. He seemed bemused as the fork fell into the bowl again, bringing out more. "This is delicious."

_Hannibal Lecter is feeding us sausage made of that copycat's dead girl. And what's worse, Graham is enjoying it._

This was the time where Anna Astor had to make a choice. A choice that would effect the lives of countless, countless people.

Stealing the silver from Hannibal Lecter's fingers, Anna speared every piece of sausage from his bowl,

And ate it.

* * *

Anna seemed to calm after filling her belly, though she wasn't as cheerful. A blank, unreadable look had taken on her face, silent through the trio's conversation over breakfast and to the car.

Hannibal caught her hand as she stepped through the front door of Graham's house, stalling her. Anna turned with a slow blink. "Yes?"

"An-na, are you sure you are all right?" He was still unrest about the scenario with the dogs. The look of sudden fear in Anna Astor's eyes, the bird-like tremble in her bones. Even when she had asked if he planned to kill her, she did not look frightened.

Only…Exasperated.

"I am fine, _dialus_ Hannibal," She answered with a slow, gentle smile. Hannibal felt his lips curve at her Lithuanian.

She had remembered.

Without thinking he brought her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. A faint blush creeped into her cheeks and she pulled her hand away, hurrying to the car. Hannibal wasn't quite sure if he had ever seen Anna blush, either.

It was a good look on her.

* * *

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why were you so unsettled by the dogs?" Graham found the courage to ask. Hannibal had followed her into the front seat to their surprise, leaving Anna snug in the middle. The woman didn't seem to mind.

"When I was a child, I tried to befriend a dog near my house. It wasn't a familiar pet from my neighbors, and I was excited on the thought of catching a stray," Anna began, calm. "My mother was never keen on pets, but I was confident I could convince my father into letting me keep it. Both of my parents worked full-time jobs and I was alone often, with a careless neighbor as a babysitter during the summers before my sister was born.

"The closer I came, the more detail I perceived of the dog. It was a Greyhound, I now know, and was swaying. I probably figured he was hurt. It looked like someone had tried to brush the dog's teeth and forgot to rinse, which I must have found absolutely riveting."

"Oh, God," Graham murmured. Anna nodded with a sigh, eyes on the road. Graham was a very cautious driver, continuously following the speed limit. This ride would be longer than expected.

"When I came close enough for the dog to notice me, it stopped. It's head bent low and I stepped even nearer, thinking it was just lonely and scared. It was then that it growled and attacked me. It bit and clawed me to ribbons. I was hospitalized for several months with broken bones and dozens of stitches. And, of course, for the long, painful treatment of Rabies."

The silence was deafening and Anna fiddled with the trim of her skirt. There was some attention even she hated.

And if there was any type she hated in particular, it was pity.

"I am sorry, An-na. But at least you survived and are standing here today, yes?" Hannibal reproached. Those dark eyes were watching her above strong cheekbones, almost willing her to agree. Anna nodded, looking back again to the road. Will clenched the driving wheel.

"I really am sorry for my dogs scaring you. They have never acted like that in my life,"

"It appears your magnetism works upon canines, as well," Hannibal teased. Anna let out a scoffing laugh, bumping shoulders with the red-faced driver and then pious doctor.

_Upon canines, men, and…Cannibals?_

* * *

_ hemingwayandhepburn dot com /post/6935507329_


	5. Chapter 5

Hello! Another update, hurrah! I am in love with all reviews, favorites, and followers! Having followers makes me feel like Voldemort, whose actor was in Red Dragon. Hahahahaha. Coincidence? _Non._ I don't own any Hannibal, though if I did I would certainly share with you fine people. Anna's true colors are starting to show through the cracks, now.

**Pradėkime.**

* * *

_Blood was everywhere._

_Pooling around his head, washing his short blonde hair. With one last twitch, the body stilled, breathing no more._

_Sprawled out on the floor, drowning in his own blood, a fit of adrenaline shot through her veins._

_The crimson tide was beautiful._

_She wanted to see more._

* * *

A soft moan fell out of Anna's mouth, conscious awakening. Blue eyes opened partway, attempting to focus.  
Her gaze was directed towards the legs of Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

"We still have a little more than half an hour of driving left, An-na. If you want, you may go back to sleep."  
"That's impossible," Anna groggily countered, sitting straight in her seat. Graham was still driving. He glanced at her quickly.

"We're heading to Bloomington, Anna. We think we've got a lead."  
"But what about the mill? I thought-"  
"We already went. You fell asleep so we left you in the car and took care of it alone."  
"I could have died of heat stroke!"

"We left the windows cracked," Graham answered, defensively. The psychoanalyst beside her chuckled. Anna sighed. A blue gaze then found the passenger to her right.

She had fallen asleep, resting her head against his shoulder. Anna noted the little wet spot on his jacket from where her mouth had been. His eyes followed hers when a bottom lip disappeared in her mouth, looking guilty. Hannibal clicked his tongue.

"An-na, what am I going to do with you?"  
Anna wondered how to say '_Whatever you want'_ in Lithuanian.

"We're here," Graham suddenly spoke. Anna looked out to the house. It was average in every way, with a neatly trimmed lawn and basic complimentary colored walls. The houses on either side held the same bland characteristics. Graham was out in an instant but Hannibal hovered, as if waiting for something.

"Let's be off, Dr. Lecter," Anna whispered seductively. Eyebrows raised and she grinned, quickly returning to her sultry manner. Fingers curled over the thigh near her, holding her weight as she drew closer. Hannibal seemed amused, eyes growing dark just as her head began to tilt.

When she had stolen his breakfast, he had been torn between anger and sheer lust. Anna Astor knew exactly what she was eating; she had been at the autopsy, he knew. And yet instead of refusing, warning Graham,

She had eaten every single piece her greedy fingers touched.

"You are cruel, An-na," He murmured as those lips inhaled his breath. Even so close he could see her smile, pale eyes moving from his mouth to his own brown irises.

A scream tore between the moment, drawing their attention away. Anna's head snapped up to see a woman collapsing in front of Graham, blood spurting like fireworks.

The slightest wave twisted Anna's stomach. Immediately she too was out of the car, following Will. The woman was dead but Anna's eyes stilled, taking in the sight.

The blood, to her,  
Was beautiful.

Shots vibrated the house and Anna continued on, rushing towards the sound. Graham was shooting the lilting form of Garret Jacob Hobbs, relentless. She could almost smell the fear on Graham.

She had to do something.

* * *

In one swift move Anna Astor had grabbed a knife off the kitchen counter, pursuing forward.

The blade melted into Hobbs' abdomen like butter.

Hobbs muttered words and she thrust forward, turning him to the counter. He slid down, slowly, watching her, until gracing the linoleum.

Garret Hobbs was dead.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Graham's major concern at that precise moment.

* * *

"Anna?"

She was still facing the counter, eyes out the window. Deep, quickened breaths came through her open mouth, teeth nearly bared. She responded to the sound of her name, expression almost dreamy.

Bright, wet drops of blood had splattered one side of her face. Anna's eyes sparkled blue in contrast, looking from Graham to someone else.

Hannibal Lecter stood in the doorway.

"The girl," Anna's voice finally came, sounding foreign. Bile crept up from Graham's stomach as he staggered to his knees, pressing palms to a bleeding neck. The daughter of Hobbs was sputtering, trying not to drown in her own blood. A hand touched his shoulder and then Dr. Lecter was there, calmly holding the girl's neck instead. Graham's eyes darted around the room for Anna.

She was gone.

* * *

It had felt so good, killing Garret Jacob Hobbs.

Graham may have been the one to truly finish the job, but he had not seen the light leave Hobbs' eyes, breathe his last breath.

Not as Anna had done.

"Hey," The brunette looked up, ignoring the rough alcohol rub a paramedic was scrubbing her cheek with. Her hands had taken the longest to clean: still she felt the blood staining her fingertips.

"Are you all right?" Anna responded, calmly watching Graham. It had unnerved him, shooting another human being. Somewhere in her mind she recalled him once being a cop. Had he never killed someone before?

"Fine, I'm-I'm fine."  
He was trying to convince himself more than her, she thought. He had already explained everything to Crawford over the phone and visited the paramedics, letting them do only so much before scurrying away. Anna's smile both warmed and froze him, caught between opposite emotions.

"You did very well, Graham. I know it was hard for you," She soothed. An unconvincing nod replied. Anna sucked her thumb lightly, bringing it to Graham's cheek. A smear of blood appeared on her skin and she watched it. A shaky sigh escaped her.

Due to fatigue and trauma from the whole incidence, Graham figured.  
If only he knew what it really did to her.

"I'm going to the hospital to see how the girl is doing," The agent found himself speaking, "…Would you like to come?"

* * *

Driving with only Anna was a new adventure to William. Once they were far enough away she seemed to ease into her normal persona, messing with his radio and stealing his glasses.

"I need those,"  
"Not as much as I do."  
"Anna, you have near-perfect vision."

"You aren't driving, and I'm right here. I'll make sure my precious Willy doesn't run into any poles," She teased, looping a thin arm through his. Warmth infested his face and Anna chuckled, leading him on. She did look cute in glasses; like a teenage hipster without the try-hard attitude. A large suit coat hung over her shoulders to hide blood-stained clothing.

Anna beamed at the receptionist who gave her the room number, leading Graham away again, to the stairs. Didn't trust elevators, she explained. He had retorted with some awkward comment and she laughed, still grinning when they entered Abigail Hobbs's room.

The carefree smile slowly turned to a look of confusion. Neither had noticed Hannibal Lecter enter the ambulance with the girl.

And yet there he sat,  
Holding her hand.

Her mind begged not to jump to conclusions but as a woman, it wasn't easy. There was no way Hannibal could get away with killing the daughter of their murderer, so what the hell was this?

"I wonder how long he's been here," Graham commented. He then noticed the cold look of Anna Astor's face, lips caught in a pursed sneer.

Women, Graham surmised, were more easily jealous than he realized.

Not knowing why, Will touched Anna's hand. The brunette tensed, startled out of her glaring thoughts. He gazed at her until the expression slowly slipped away, leaving the calm planes of her face once more. His fingers pinched the wire hooks of his glasses and pulled them away, defiantly returning them to his face. Anna began to smile once more.

The two fell onto the small couch, side by side, and waited for what would happen next in the case of Garret and Abigail Hobbs. An arm fell over Anna's shoulders suddenly, tugging her closer. Arched brows knitting together at Graham.

"It will piss him off, don't you think?" Was his only answer. The look of amusement on Anna's face was just what he had hoped for.

Perhaps Anna Astor had underestimated William after all.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! It's so early. I have work till late tonight, so I thought I'd be nice and update beforehand. I'm angry at acquaintances in my life at the moment, which leads words to pour from my fingers. I know this chapter is long, but I enjoy it. Sorry if it's too touchy-feely! I also always have an exact image of the outfits Anna's so cute in, so if you think I should add the links, please tell me! I love and am thankful for _all_ reviews, favorites, and followers. You guys make my day! (: _Je ne possède pas Hannibal, seulement émotionnelle Anna._

_- M._

* * *

Hannibal Lecter had awoken to find Abigail Hobbs' health as before, breathing through tubes and unconscious.

The new addition to the room were the snuggled, sleeping forms of William Graham and Anna Astor.

It was the first time Lecter had even seen Will remotely at ease, head resting on the soft, dark hair of Anna's. Her face, nestled in the crook of Graham's neck, was harder, as if in an inescapable dream. Every few moments her fingers twitched unconsciously.

Hannibal didn't know whether to leave, or murder both here and now.

The urge glided into his mind like a glove to a hand, just picturing how he would do it.

"Women are such jealous creatures, aren't they."  
Dr. Lecter glanced at Agent Crawford, letting slip no emotional response. "It is rude to lurk in doorways, Jack. It is what eavesdroppers are caught doing."

The man chuckled, stepping in a foot farther. Crawford watched the two sleeping detectives of his choice once more. Without looking, he explained, "They came in and saw you touching the girl, Abigail. Astor is the type of manipulator who wants the defendant to feel the same emotion as the accuser did. I'd imagine, anyway. Since you are still holding that kid's hand."

Hannibal had forgotten. Deftly he moved away, sitting taller within his chair. His attention turned again to Crawford.

"Do you believe Dr. Astor harbors feelings for me, Agent Crawford?" His voice was as nonchalant as if asking of the weather. Hannibal was a master of emotional deception. Crawford frowned.

"I believe that Anna Astor is a lethal woman with a plan, Hannibal. Of all the tests she was put through after the kidnapping incident, narcissism and manipulation were her greatest character flaws. She is highly intelligent and used to getting exactly what she wants. Dr. Lector, I would advise both you and Will to be careful."

_'Narcissism is only bad when the wielder isn't worthy,'_ Hannibal mused. _Manipulation is a very useful tool, as well._

"Why did you not ask me to psychoanalyze her, then?"

A grunt answered. Crawford watched the poised doctor, straight-backed in the chair he belittled with his form. Crawford looked back to Astor.

"Because, Hannibal, Astor was once an experimental psychologist."

* * *

She was wondering how long it would take before Hannibal contacted her.

While the case of the missing girls was not completed, questioning of Abigail Hobbs could not be pursued, not in her current condition.

Cream-colored heels stalked the parking lot of Dr. Hannibal Lecter's psychology practice. It was a fairly large, articulate building, quite like Lecter himself.

The waiting room was beautifully decorated, with plush velvet furniture and deep-colored walls. Anna chose to stand, unwilling to let Hannibal judge her seating choice.  
She glanced at the burgundy and silver watch on her wrist. It just matched the high-waist shorts adorning her hips, black hosed legs running out one end. A white silk, Peter Pan-collared shirt was loosely tucked into the shorts, adorned with black polka dots and white buttons. _What time had he said, eleven?_

Growing impatient, Astor wandered down a hallway, deciding to stay on the ground floor. The first door she tried was locked, as was the next. By the third Anna was impatient. _Is he even here?_

The door opened noiselessly. Carefully she peaked into the beautiful, enormous room, finding her target.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter was leaning back in a leather chair, sleeping once more.

The brunette let out a small grumpy breath at being so easily forgotten. It did give her time to look around, though. This was the most potentially interesting event to happen all week.

Well, in six days.  
Killing a man in cold blood might be considered "interesting" as well.

* * *

She was in his dreams.

On a bench, back to him, hair gently waving in the breeze.

Waiting for someone.

The longing for her came once again and he stepped forward, wanting only to be near her. He reached the bench from behind, hesitant fingers brushing her bare shoulder.

Chestnut tendrils began to turn and he could see the edge of her smile, taste the sweetness of her lips.

And, just as he was about to see the full of her beautiful face,

Hannibal Lecter woke up.

* * *

Soft mumbling greeted his ears. Without moving anything but his eyes a figure began to unfold, less than a foot away.

Incoherent words were tumbling out from under her breath, concentrating on something in her hands. Thick hair was pulled up into a knot high on her head, the only real aspect he could see above her neck.

Anna Astor was sitting face-to-face with him, cross-legged upon his desk.

Those small feet bore no shoes, only dark tights that led up her legs. She had began to nibble her thumb, quieting her words.

It infuriated him, how classically she could dress and still come off so sexual. He _loathed_ the way men looked her up and down, thoughts as apparent as their arousal.

Most of the time Anna seemed to ignore the attention, though he had caught her often oblivious of it. He smiled at her still-present innocence, even if she hid it so well.

He took a slender foot in his hand and squeezed, feeling her tense in surprise.

The beautiful face he was denied in dreams looked up at him now. Blue eyes were wide, mouth falling open before gently closing. Hannibal fought off a smile.

"How long have you been here, An-na?" Hannibal questioned softly. Sleep still laced his body and words. Anna couldn't stop her smile, no matter how angry she tried to remember to be.

"Not too long, I suppose. Maybe fifteen minutes," A great yawn opening Hannibal's mouth, body stretching in the large chair. Dark legs unraveled and looped through the armrests, pulling him forward and sliding her closer.

There was nothing more deadly than an unguarded Dr. Lecter.

Anna reached out and traced the curves of his cheeks, still in awe of how defined they were. She had never seen someone with a face like his. She took pride in her own defined facial structure, but it was nothing compared to his. "Hannibal, how did you come across these?" His skin rose under her fingers as he smiled.

"A gift from my father, I suppose."

The slender woman smoothed her hands against his cheeks, up his temples and through his hair. Brown eyes closed and Hannibal Lecter relaxed once again, simply enjoying the feeling of her hands against his skin.

He couldn't remember the last time he allowed anyone to touch him so gently.

"Hannibal," She cooed, tugging his ears, tickling his neck. His chin rose with her touch and a small mumble answered, barely coherent.

Soft, breathy kisses touched his skin and Lecter moaned, writhing. Her laugh warmed his neck before she pulled away.

Blue eyes softly welcomed him above a smile. Hannibal felt his breath catch, leaning back against the hands grasped around his shoulders. They rose to the back of his head, his hair.

Carefully she pulled him forward, angling his face towards hers. Brown eyes watched the smile on her lips, her bright orbs, before they slowly began to close.

His heart had never pounded as it did when Anna Astor kissed him.

"Was it worth the torment?" She murmured onto his lips. He laughed despite himself, pulling her off the desk and into his lap.

_"Yes."_

* * *

"We still haven't discussed your little incident with Graham," Hannibal commented. Anna speared another cherry tomato, letting it burst in her mouth.

"We haven't discussed your little hand-holding predicament with Hobbs," The brunette easily countered. Hannibal smirked at her quick answer.

"I merely felt obligated to be there in the case that she woke up,"

"Bullshit." Anna deadpanned. Pale eyes were narrowed at him. "The reasons you agree on with Graham won't work on me, Hannibal."

She hated the way he looked at her, shrugging. Continuing to eat as if he could just dismiss her like that.

"You got your revenge, did you not? You used Graham to initiate jealousy in me, and it worked." Blue eyes blinked at that. _So Graham was right._

"It wasn't my idea."

"…I am sorry, what?" Hannibal finally halted his fork, sitting straight in his chair. He had driven her to his home, preparing an intricate meal as she browsed the countless books in his rooms. Anna was watching him, emotionless.

"I didn't get all cozy to Graham, for your information. He is the one who put his arm around me. He thought it would piss you off. Looks like it worked."

"He manipulated you," Hannibal hissed. Anna Astor smirked before feigning innocence, looking at him with those cat eyes. "And that's your job, right?"

The silence that answered was enough of an answer and Anna stood, throwing her napkin down and stalking out.

"Where is it that you think you are going, Anna," Hannibal spoke quietly. For a moment Anna stalled, turning her lips onto a thin shoulder.

"Leaving."

In an instant Hannibal Lecter was before her, face impassive.

"We are not finished with this conversation."  
Anna laughed humorlessly, barreling around his impeding form. "You are not the boss of me."

The grip he used to catch her wrist nearly made her cry out, from shock or pain she wasn't sure.

Darkened eyes were concentrated on her, lips pursed. "This is my house. You will not speak to me like that _in my house_." A wave of anger surged Anna's willpower and sharply she pulled her arm away.

Hannibal caught it again with wicked ease. She hadn't even seen his hands move until they were holding her. The seething glare on Anna Astor's face almost made Lecter release her.

_Almost_.

"I am not your _toy_, Hannibal. You can't wind me up and _control me as you please_," The smirk on his lips only enraged her further.

"And what will you do about it, little Anna?" Hannibal taunted. He was the strong-faced tiger, circling the gazelle. The sneer, cold expression on his face was something Anna had not witnessed before.

It excited her.

Before Hannibal could react the narrow brunette bent forward and sunk white teeth into his arm, forcing his grip loosen. Anna's hands slipped free and she ducked his reach, deftly turning and pulling her fist back.

Anna Astor punched Hannibal Lecter with all her force, knocking him to the ground.

He lay still on the gleaming wood floor for a moment, shocked. Anna let out a hissing breath, turning on her heel and stalking out once again.

_He's probably never been given that sort of response before, let alone from a girl-_

A cry escaped pink lips when a hand suddenly ripped her around and pushed her, head slamming off the wall. She was half-dazed as she tried to strike him again, both wrists becoming ensnared. They slammed against the wall and Hannibal pinned her waist with his.

Anna was caught.

"_Jūs kvailas, savanaudis mergina-_"

"Cuss at me all you want in Lithuanian, Hannibal!" She spat in his face, venom of a snake. Her body writhed and fought under his weight. "No matter what you think you're capable of, I _will_ escape. You think yourself some sort of _God_, but there's a difference between _invincible_ and _immortal_-"

Astor's words became choked as Lecter lifted her from the ground by the arms, feet dangling off the ground. She gasped at the release of her hands, ready to strike,

When Hannibal Lecter's lips came crashing into hers.

"**_Anna_**," His rough voice managed. As soon as her feet reached the floor she jumped, willingly. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he leaned Anna against the wall once more, ravaging her mouth with his own. A hand supported her back, the other firmly gripping her behind. Anna's own fingers grasped at his neck, his hair. A moan tunneled into her mouth as he pressed his body to hers.

The taste of blood accented her tongue. Anna pulled back, stopping Hannibal's following face with firm hands. His lips were already swollen and his breath sharp, chest heaving against hers. She had affected him just as much as he did to her.

"You-You're bleeding," Anna huffed. Hannibal's face was still set in a grimace, hair astray, proving only more unsettling with his strong face shape. The woman shrunk away slightly. Something crossed Hannibal's eyes when she did that, breaths suddenly becoming calmer.

Gently he placed her on shoeless feet, the tip of her head barely reaching his shoulders once more. With a firm grip Anna dragged him back through the dining room and to the kitchen, demanding he sit on a stool as she packed ice.

Purple and brown was blossoming under Hannibal's left eye. Carefully Anna pressed the bag of crushed ice to his cheek, catching the trickle of blood from his lips with a finger. Her gaze was entranced by the small drop and her mouth opened.

"I have a…fascination, with bleeding," Anna managed to produce, lamely. Hannibal looked from her finger to that torn, hard face.

"You enjoyed watching Hobbs die." It was a statement. The woman nodded lightly, turning back to Hannibal. He didn't seem surprised. Anna could never surprise him with those deadly little secrets. Only by accident did she ever surprise him. A sweet dress, a new perfume. When she smiled suddenly at him or Graham, or laughed.

Hannibal Lecter wasn't surprised by the darkness,

He was surprised by the light.

He gently held her hand and brought it to his lips, sucking away the red stain. A shiver screamed down her spine, Hannibal's eyes never wavering from hers.

She didn't know what it was about him that was so intoxicating. He ate up her thoughts like a disease, plaguing her. She wanted him, but more than anything wanted him to need _her._

"An-na, I truly do believe this is the beginning of a _beautiful_ relationship."


	7. Chapter 7

I'm kind of late! Sorry. I'm in love with all favorites, reviews, and followers! You are all why I write. These few chapters are a calm before the storm. I wish it was Thursday already. _Jag äger inte__Hannibal, bara avtrubbad Anna._

* * *

It wasn't until Will Graham needed to find her that he realized no one had any idea what Anna Astor really did for a living.

"Will! What a pleasant surprise. I was not expecting to see you today," Dr. Hannibal Lecter greeted him, cordial as ever. Will nodded grimly.

"I hope I'm not interrupting,"  
"On the contrary, my one afternoon appointment has cancelled. What can I help you with?"  
"Anna."

Graham wasn't a fan of eye contact, but he made an exception with these words. Hannibal didn't disappoint.

Even if he was a great psychoanalysis, Agent Graham did not miss the darkening of Dr. Lecter's eyes.

"Yes, and what about her?" He answered politely. Will's eyes lowered once again.  
"I wanted her input on a new case,"  
"And how may I help you with that?"

Will fidgeted. "Dr. Astor left no contact information that isn't confidential. I don't even know where she works on a regular basis," A memory of Crawford mentioning _experimental psychologist_ returned to Hannibal's mind. He did not comment aloud. "Anyway, seeing as you two seem to have some '_connection_,' I presumed you would know."

The Doctor smiled at the air quotations Graham made.

Smiled, until Hannibal realized that he himself did not know Anna's occupation. She had at least two doctorates with a decorated IQ, but what did she _do_?

"I do know where she lives. I will be happy to direct you there. That is, if you don't mind my company,"

"Not at all."

* * *

Will was not surprised by how much nicer Dr. Lecter's car was compared to his.

"So, how do you know where Anna lives?"  
"Her car resided at an auto mechanics for a week. It was I who drove her to and from the agency."  
"Have you ever been inside? Her house, I mean."  
"I have not."

Two sets of eyes looked to the walkway Hannibal had always found Anna, house shrouded by blossoming tulip trees and weeping willows. The two glanced at one another and Hannibal killed the engine.

The road to Astor's house had turned to gravel halfway down, winding into a patch of green forest. If there was a house at the end of this driveway, it was secluded for a mile around.

The home that did indeed come to view was more mansion than house. Made of grey brick with white trim, a brown chimney ominously towered out of the house, to the right of a light grey, pointed roof. The house filled out to the right with less detail. The front showed off five paned windows, with one peaking out of the basement. The front door was a gazebo of glass, topped with a turret shape and roof.

Will Graham was in awe. Not that he knew much about houses, but this one seemed to have fallen right out of a frickin' fairy tale.

"Whatever she usually does, she must make bank," Graham remarked bluntly. Hannibal _hmm_'ed in response.

Probably just envious of Anna's ridiculous mansion.

"It is quite fitting for her, don't you think?" The doctor commented, almost to himself. Graham nodded. The whole perfect-fairy-tale thing was right up their psychotic female's ally.

As Snow White or the heart-eating queen, Will wasn't sure.

He rang the doorbell and took a step back. Dr. Lecter stood alert as always, hands clasped behind him. Graham pretended to not be as insanely awkward as he really was.  
Bounding steps could be heard through the house as someone shouted, claiming to have "_got it_." The voice was acutely female, but several octaves higher than Anna's.

A tall, rail-thin blonde opened the door, grinning and out of breath. Crystal blue eyes on a pale face looked first from Graham to Lecter, lips slowly turning directions.

The girl couldn't be any older than fourteen.

"Hello. We are looking for Dr. Astor-"

"You're Hannibal Lecter." The blonde child interrupted, unsmiling. Graham shot a look to Hannibal, finding his face just as surprised. The girl did not seem frightened, only…confused.

"She said you were _so_ attractive. I don't understand. You look like-"

"_Lily_!"

In an instant the skinny girl was snatched out of the doorway. Graham snickered, blissful at the shock on Hannibal Lecter's face. It wasn't everyday the doctor was shamed like that. A profuse, hissing foreign language filled the air and the girl yelled back, spewing the same language.

"…French?" Will guessed in a whisper. Hannibal grimly nodded. _Someone's still a little stung. _

An elegant, older woman appeared in the doorway. She was nearly taller than Graham. She wore a slim black dress, long-sleeved and to her knees, with ghost white hair pulled into a chignon.

Two blue, peeping eyes watched from the curve of her waist, hidden behind the woman.

"_Bonjour_," Hannibal greeted, politely. The woman nodded, opening the door just the slightest more. _"__Nous aimerions voir le Dr Astor?"_

"She's at work!" The girl -Lily- quipped. The woman sent her a glare before turning to the visitors once more.

"This is true, she is at work. May I inquire whom you two are?"  
"They're Agent Will Graham and Dr. Lecter, Cecilia, I _told_ you-"  
"_Lily-_"  
"The girl is right, ma'am," Will interrupted. He was tired of this game. "We work with Dr. Astor when she helps out with crime scenes. We don't, however, know where she works otherwise."

"Would you be willing to educate us?" Hannibal added with a smile. The woman staggered, taken by surprise. Graham fought the urge to roll his eyes.

As soon as the little doctor's feelings were hurt, the charm came on.  
Redemption.

"Go to the Regions Hospital on Jackson Street. That is where you will find her," The elder answered, finally. Lily had taken the chance to scoot away from the woman, now watching the two from the other side of the doorway.

Those blue eyes were trained on Dr. Lecter and he gazed back. Lily held his stare until the French woman nagged at her, ushering her back inside.

"Thank you sincerely, Cecilia. I hope we did not impede too much on your generosity." The woman blushed once again and Will nearly gagged. How did Hannibal get away with this shit?

* * *

"You really lay it on thick, don't you,"  
"I received the information we wanted, yes?"  
"Once she realized who we were, she'd of probably told us anyway,"  
"Mmm."

_Yeah, 'mmm.' You were just pissed off at what that kid said._

"You think that girl is Anna's daughter?"  
"No. They share no physical characteristics whatsoever."  
"They both have blue eyes."  
"We both have dark eyes. Does that make us related?"

Graham sighed, raking hands through his hair. He was about to ask who the hell he thought Lily was then, before Hannibal spoke;

"Anna mentioned that it was you who attempted to initiate jealousy in me, Will. May I inquire why?"

A smirk turned Graham's face into a new expression. "It must have worked then."

"And why would you assume that?" Will shook his shaggy head.

"Because Anna isn't the type who would come out and give away information without gaining something in return. That means you questioned her first about it, probably in your therapeutic way that only pissed her off. My guess is she told you in spite,"

"So it would seem."  
"Good to know you're capable of non-positive emotions, Hannibal."

Dr. Lecter chuckled, ever impassive. Always about calm logic, a true level-headed debater. Even through midday traffic he held his cool attitude.

Graham sort of wished someone would hit his bumper or tailgate them, at least.  
There was no such luck as the two stopped in a hospital parking lot, heading towards the towering buildings.

_"Ah, hello. Which floor might we find Dr. Anna Astor on?"_

* * *

Sometimes, Dr. Astor really didn't believe she was paid enough for this job.

A pale, curly-headed child sat before her, nose pink and eyes watering. He was no more than four and his pacing, worried mother less than thirty.

"He doesn't have a fever, Dr., or fatigue. He just keeps crying and crying and scratching his nose-"

"Do you have any other children?"  
"What?"  
Anna took a quiet inhale, keeping calm.

"Does Benjamin have any siblings?"  
"Oh! Yes. A six year old sister."  
"Do they play together often?"  
"Well, yes: they're siblings. What does that-"

The unnatural blonde stopped her blabber as the doctor stuck a pair of tweezers up the child's nose, initiating a squeal in him. Anna clicked her tongue, shaking her head with wide cat eyes. Benjamin quieted instantly.

The tweezers appeared once again, producing a small, iron game piece in the shape of a boot.

"Is his sister just learning how to play Monopoly?" Dr. Astor asked innocently. Benjamin laughed and reached for the small trinket, catching Anna's fingers instead. A soft smile graced her face as he brought her hand to his face, patting his own cheek.

Of all the jobs Anna Astor had worked, from waitress to psychologist to forensic medical examiner, this occupation was her favorite.

Children were slower to judge, easier to understand. Most let their emotions run free, never afraid to wear their heart on their sleeves.

Still innocent to the horrors of life.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Dr. Astor!" The brunette nodded, slumping on her wheeled stool.

"Just try to keep count of the monopoly pieces from now on." The woman nodded vigorously, picking up little Benjamin and hurrying to the door. Blue eyes watched her, little hand waving. Anna sighed.

_I'm already over thirty, and have yet to have a husband or children. Path to psychotic cat lady, here I come._

Her next appointment presumably knocked as she swiveled in her seat, facing the trash can. The door opened just as she was taking her second glove off.

"Well now, what problems are we facing today, Eliza-" Anna's words fell short.

In her doorway stood not little Elizabeth and her mother, but a tall, broad-chested man and a skinnier, glasses-adorned agent.

"So, you're a pediatrician," Will Graham commented. Confusion still furrowed Anna's face, rising from her seat.

"How did you two find me? I didn't leave Crawford with my occupation address-"

"We visited your home, Anna. Cecelia told us," The doctor paled.

"You didn't go in my house, did you?"  
"Only to your doorstep, why?"  
"No reason, just-"

"Just, you didn't want us to meet Lily?" Hannibal answered, easily. Lips puckered at his assumption, though it was true. Anna hadn't planned to mention her until she was positive Hannibal wasn't going to get fed up and eat her.

…She really needed to work on those puns.

"What is that?" Graham off-handedly asked. That bubble-brained mother had forgotten the metal toy piece. It was for the better, Anna supposed.

"A four year old boy lodged _that_ little beauty into his nose," Anna checked the time, slipping off her doctor's coat, "and his mother couldn't figure out why he wouldn't stop crying."

"At least it isn't too sharp," Hannibal offered. Anna nodded, placing small hands on either hip. "So, to what do I owe this surprise visit?"

"I wanted your input on the newest case. Dr. Lecter came for the ride, though I'm sure Crawford will be pleased with us spending such leisure time together," Graham noted sarcastically. Anna smiled.

"Well then, take me out to lunch? It's already past two and I'm starving." The pediatrician announced. She reached for her cardigan but Hannibal beat her to it. Anna turned, slipping arms into the warm sleeves, feeling his fingers tickle her neck as he swept her hair free. Graham nodded.

"Well, let's be off,"

Anna Astor allowed the two men out before her, locking the door. She had to make a quick trip to her office for keys and a purse,

Glancing one last time at the padlocked mini fridge,

snug in the corner,

before leaving it all behind her.


	8. Chapter 8

So, the way I have these set up, I've written one extra than expected. Meaning, I'll have to post perhaps two a day, today and tomorrow. _That_ way the storm hits just in time for the new episode Thursday. Hurray! I _love _reviews, favorites, and my beautiful followers. I try to keep this short because I'm pretty sure no one reads it anyway. I sure as hell don't. _En omista Hannibal, vain vartioimaton Anna._

_-M_

* * *

Chocolate eyes watched fingers trail around the rim of a sweating glass, filled to the brim with murky peach tea. The path led to the body of the glass itself, gripping with both hands. A straw met pink lips and Anna Astor drank, cheeks sucking in with effort. For a moment the woman resembled a wide-eyed fish.

"What did they have in common, again?"  
"Kidney failure. They were being fed to stay alive through tubes once underground,"

Those delicate hands returned the iced tea to the table. Lashes batted before rising to Will Graham. "They must have more in common. How would he get them all into the ground and buried, still alive? Perhaps a coma? The most common chronic disease associated with kidney failure is-"

"Diabetes," Will finished. Anna nodded, patting the low chignon pulled over her right ear. She really did look like a little kid doctor, with the neat hair, and thin, cream-colored button-down tucked into a high mocha skirt, flowing to her knees. A white cardigan was pulled over her shoulders, sleeves dangling to the sides. Anna looked up at the two warily.

"What? Why are you two smiling at me like that? Do I have something in my teeth?"

"You are just cute, Anna. I believe that is the word you would use." Hannibal answered with a gentle smile. Graham was looking at her like that too, practically grinning.

A great, surprising blush warmed the woman's cheeks, wide eyes averting to her lap. Why did they have to do this to her? Treat her like some cute little kitten?

_Well, they did just find out you spend hours picking toys out of children's noses…_

"Who was that kid at your house, Anna?" Graham's question was almost a relief. At least they weren't smiling at her so crazily anymore. Anna's back straightened.

"Lily. She stays with me a weekend or two each month."  
"Is she your daughter?"  
"I do not have any children, Will."  
"Then who is she?"

Anna sighed.

_Can I really trust them, for certain? Hannibal may be a serial killer, but at least he seems more mentally stable than Graham, at times…_

"Lily is the daughter of my sister."

"I was not aware that you have a sister," Hannibal interjected. Anna returned his impervious gaze with an apathetic calm.

"Had. I _had_ a sister. She's dead, along with my parents. Separate incidences, however."

"Christ," Will offered, ever-so sensitively. Anna smiled out of habit; just another awkward quirk of hers and Graham's, she supposed. Why make up apologies when you could blurt the first thing that came to mind?  
The scruffy-faced agent noticed his watch and coughed. Graham stood abruptly, digging cash out of his wallet.

"Listen, I've got to go. I want to double-check the bodies with what we've figured before investigating the pharmacies. They might even all have the same pharmacist. That would make this case a hell of a lot easier," Anna objected to the money offered, Graham ignoring her.

"I'm the one who came and found _you_, so I should pay. Take it, please. I'll see you later, Anna, Hannibal." The man, once so nervous around them, fare-welled. With only the slightest flinch he had taken Anna's hand and bestowed the money to her.

Anna sent Hannibal a bemused look, eyebrows raised. The doctor smirked in return. "Little William is becoming comfortable around us, I believe."

"But is that a good thing?" Anna countered. Hannibal genuinely laughed: a perfect noise to her ears. She felt lips curl into a smile as he stood, offering his long fingers.

"Must you return to work?"  
"No, I'm done for the day."  
"Perhaps we could go for a stroll, then."  
It was strange the way Hannibal spoke, with words most people never said these days. So formal and grammatically correct.

Anna Astor could not say she didn't enjoy it.

"I think there's a park only a few blocks away, with a great trail. It follows around the lake and-"  
Informative words broke off as Hannibal took her by the waist, wrapping another hand around her neck. He kissed her so gently and suddenly, Anna's senses could hardly focus.

"Hannibal!" She breathed when they parted. He was smiling at her again; that lopsided smile that melted and embarrassed her. Anna tugged herself away, glaring at him.

"Why did you do that?"  
Hannibal looked at her as if she were stupid.

"Because I wanted to kiss you," His words were so blunt, honest. Anna fought the light-headed warmth pinching her cheeks. "is that not allowed?"

"I-You…You've never even taken me out before!" Even to her, that sounded ridiculous. There was no way to fight the blush now. Hannibal smirked.

"Fine. I will take you on a date. An-_na_, would you like to go to the park with me?"

Anna huffed, patting the back of her head and straightening her shirt._ 'Such a typical woman,'_ The tall doctor mused, _'worrying over hair and clothing.'_

* * *

"So, how do you do it?" Anna whispered, chin against a broad shoulder as she whispered to him. Dark eyes furrowed.

"How do I do what, An-na?"

Blue eyes shot a furtive look around the park. Children were splashing on the bank, a man dressed for running passing them, a woman at a picnic table, reading.

"How do you decide whom your next meal will be?" The doctor breathed in through his nose. Anna felt his fingers flex, one by one, over hers.

It was stupid, how something as simple as hand-holding, made her stomach twist. Normally such attachment would sicken her. She hated dating men who were clingy: arms always around her waist, shoulders, holding her hands.

With Dr. Lecter, so formal and chivalrous, it felt like something else entirely.

"I do not pick just anyone, Anna," Hannibal murmured back. So, it's a technique.

"Do you…You don't ever choose children, do you?"

"_No_," He sounded appalled at her for even asking that. Anna had to be sure, though.

"Do you favor one sex over the other? Is it harder killing women, perhaps?"

"You hate women, Anna. Would it be for you?"

"…No,"

Her answer was a little surprising. Even if she herself was a woman, would it not be harder killing someone with supposed physical disadvantages? She had already killed two men without batting an eye.

"Tell me about your sister," Anna looked up to Hannibal, broken from thoughts. She frowned. A smile was hidden in his lips before gently kissing the edge of her mouth, steps faltered. "Please?"

"…My sister's name was Margaret. She was a beautiful girl: my parent's pride and joy. I was the quieter of us, always face-down in a book. Not Maggie. The world wasn't big enough for her. She was always dating the head quarterback, or off running some charity. When she married at 20, I was overjoyed. A year later she had little Lilybug, who was the most beautiful baby you've ever seen. She had the palest shade of blonde hair from her father, and our blue eyes. She was perfect.

"When Margaret was twenty-five and Lily about five or six, Maggie's ex-husband broke into their house. He was a drunkard and they had been divorced for several years already. I was living with them at the time."

Anna paused, looking out over the bright water. Hannibal had led her to a bench, settling her in with his coat snug over her slender shoulders. She looked down, jaw gaunt with a swallow.

"When I heard her scream, something set off in my body. I found him in her room. He had carved the word '_whore_' into her chest. By fight-or-flight adrenaline I got the knife away from him. I had cut off three of his fingers, one of his ears, and half his nose by the time the police arrived.

"Surprisingly, he survived my attack. I was noted unstable for the time being and Lily was handed to a foster parent. Cecelia Tide, a retired, French etiquette instructor. I returned to school and graduated head of my class, wrote several books, and made a small fortune. I charmed the court and regained custody of Lily. She now attends a French boarding school and is only home every few weeks. Her foster parent, Cecelia, now lives in our home as our maid and Lily's personal tutor."

"Did either of you attend therapy, after the murder?" Anna produced half a smirk.

"What do you think I was studying in school, Dr. Lecter?"  
"You are a pediatrician. I only assumed. Though Crawford mentioned your occupation in experimental psychology,"

"Did he, now," The brunette murmured. Her back had straightened through the story, no longer wary. Once she began there was no turning back. Anna had changed before Hannibal's eyes once again; from a quiet, innocent woman to the bright-eyed, lethal animal. A cross between a cold snake and a hungry tiger.

Those cat eyes took him in with unfamiliar emotion. Hannibal had been transfixed by her tale. He knew she was capable of brutality, but not to the extent which she just explained.

"Was Margaret older, or younger than you?" Anna smiled.

"I do not see what that matters, Dr. Lecter, but she was my little sister." A strange expression filled Hannibal's face. Darkened, but not with anger.

Anna had never seen sadness upon his face before.

Like a plant to light she leaned towards him, mouth quirked. "What is it, Hannibal? What are you thinking of?"

"You," He replied so simply. He smiled at the widening of her blue eyes before standing. "I had a little sister as well."

_Why didn't I know that? Why have I never asked? Then again, neither he nor Graham even knew where I worked._

"What was her name?"  
"Mischa,"

She didn't push him to further explain. Somehow she knew he would quietly refuse her.

Anna took his hands instead and kissed his knuckles, turning fingers, kissed one warm palm. The look of genuine shock on Hannibal Lecter's face only made her smile that much more sweetly.

"Hannibal," She spoke, one word.

An ocean broke tide in his chest, crashing through his ribs, past his lungs. Hesitant lips greeted hers when she rose, placing his arms around herself before touching his face. She knew how he felt, what to do to cure him.

Anna Astor would be the fall of Hannibal Lecter.

* * *

pinterest site, add "pin/107593878570435460/" to url.


	9. Chapter 9

Update, take two! I received MORE reviews, favorites, and followers! dslfkjsl. Gah. It literally is the highlight of my day, seeing people enjoy my writing. I know Anna is coming off a little Mary Sue-ish, but she will be turning dark, very soon. You just have to know how to press the right buttons. _Ek doen dit nie self Hannibal, net jaloers klein Anna_.

* * *

That woman was following her.

Anna Astor had left work precisely at two p.m., deciding on a quick snack from the very same café she, Hannibal, and Will had visited. Tan legs crossed under the table, bare and heeled. Her dress was a navy blue to the waist, disproportionately belted in gold. The sweetheart neckline was covered with sheer white material over one shoulder, leaving the rest of her golden arms bare. A black blazer hung under thick, glossy waves of chestnut hair.

It had taken her an hour and a half to look this good. Hannibal was very specific in the importance of tonight's dinner date with Crawford. Anna had no intentions to disappoint.

Hence the small, plain white box within her possession.

Too bad all of Anna Astor's energy was wasted on the curly-headed ginger sneaking around.

The woman pretended to be a cheerful tourist, chatting up the waiter and complimenting his tacky haircut. Cat eyes rolled.

When Anna stood the other did only moments after, following her to the cashier.

"I'm sorry for being so brash, but you have _beautiful_ hair," A too-sweet voice admired. Anna fell into her snake skin, turning with a brilliant smile.

"You are so generous, miss. I greatly appreciate your compliment though your hair is much more luscious than mine," It worked; the woman's face flushed and Anna turned her charm to the cashier.

He added a thirty percent discount to her meal.

* * *

"Excuse me!"

A willowy brunette turned to her call, not surprised. The caller grinned as she bent, pretended to catch her breath. The woman watched her with strange aquamarine eyes, half-lidded under arched eyebrows.

She knew for a fact that this was Dr. Anna Astor, coworker of both Hannibal Lecter and more valuably, Will Graham.

The importance of the woman increased when she saw how uniquely beautiful Anna Astor truly was. There was no way in hell one or maybe _both_ men were not infatuated with her. Lustful, at the minimum.

She would use this to her advantage.

"The woman from the café. Hello again," Ever polite, smiling prettily. She returned the expression, playing with her hair.

"I was just wondering, I mean. I know this is awkward, but are you…_into_ women?"

Not even the slightest notion of shock graced the woman's face. A slow smirk licked her lips instead.

"I am sorry to inform you that I am not."  
"Well, damn. Turned down again! I bet you do that a lot. Bully." The redhead pouted. Anna Astor laughed a tinkling laugh. "And now you have the audacity to laugh at me! I'm so embarrassed!"

Two feline eyes watched her, knowingly. For the first time in a long time the reporter felt a nervous surge of being discovered.

"You should not be embarrassed. I am flattered by your offer, but as stated I must decline due to sexual preference. Good day to you,"

She did not follow the woman. She didn't need to.

Freddie Lounds had stolen the address card from Anna Astor's bag without a single notice.

* * *

_"Hello, this is Dr. Lecter speaking,"_

_"So, your accent is just as sexy through a phone, doctor,"_

_"Anna,"_

_"I'm just calling to say I'm ready whenever. Do you want me to go directly to your house, or-"_

_"I have an appointment with Will in forty-five minutes. Would you be willing to join me here? I will drive us both,"_

_"That's fine! Why are you laughing?"_

_"You sound like a little girl through the telephone, An-na."_

Anna hung up abruptly. She could just hear the good doctor chuckling to himself as she only proved his point by acting childish. She pouted nonetheless.

_How to kill forty-five minutes, Astor style._

Whatever Anna put her hands to, she could turn to gold. Though ever a procrastinator, boredom was one feature she simply couldn't tolerate.

Upon her parent's deaths, she as the older sister had taken to cooking. Pouring over books and how-to television programs, unable to stop herself from obsessing until everything met her standards.

Easily she moved around her kitchen, stirring, boiling. Anna had done her homework.

Her secret ingredient was finally brought from its box, puréed and sweetened.

Anna delicately placed the beautiful, nearly-completed ingredients into a large container, to be finished just moments before dessert was served.

"Have a date?" A light voice quipped. Blue eyes caught sight of their mirror image, only on a younger face. Lily Astor grinned.

"And if I do?"  
"It's about time you got a man. Mom was always so worried for you. Said you were too smart for all the men you knew."

"Well then, it's good that I made new friends."

* * *

**"You've been terribly rude, Ms. Lounds. What's to be done about that?"**

Freddie stared warily at the doctor, hand still holding firm the recorder. Long fingers had not released their end, either, though both she and he had stood.  
Hannibal Lecter was so close.  
Upon entering she had felt comfortable, sensing no danger. Now, with her heart thumping in pale ears, Freddie Lounds felt incredibly intimidated.

Her life expectancy depleted by a quarter when those large waiting room doors opened once more.

* * *

Anna Astor appeared from behind them, as graceful as before. Heeled steps stopped dead when she noticed them, obviously confused.  
_The calm before the storm._

Those inhuman eyes went from wide to narrowed, mouth an open-shaped sneer.

"Dr. Astor-"

"What the fuck is this?" Her voice sent a shiver down Freddy's back and she flinched away from Dr. Lecter.

Anna Astor didn't even seem to notice her. That angled, lethal face was only upon Dr. Lecter.

"Language, Anna. Ms. Lounds-"

"Is that your fucking name then, you psychotic stalker?" _So much for going unnoticed._

"Why does she have a tape recorder? Where's Will?" The brunette demanded, stalking forward. Freddie seriously contemplated bolting for the door. Anna Astor had longer legs, but she was also trapped in stiletto scrapers.

When those eyes locked on hers, however, Freddie Lounds was nailed to the floor.

_Make that half my life expectancy, gone._

Agile hands ripped the recorder from her. Anna scrutinized it before turning to the impassive Dr. Lecter.  
She grabbed his face, turning it from side to side. A nerve in Astor's shoulders began to release, seemingly satisfied with him. Freddie let out a sigh of relief.  
_At least now I know which man Dr. Astor-_

A shriek tore out of pale throat, through her thoughts and into her senses.

Dr. Anna Astor had gripped the thick roots of her hair and pulled with an enormous force.

Cold eyes looked from above, fingers tangled in a small forest of springy, ginger hair.

"Learn your lesson and place, reporter. Do not follow me around, do not speak to my acquaintances, and _do not touch my things_,"

Freddie Lounds staggered to her feet, tumbling once again before arriving on shaky legs. Dr. Lecter was glancing from woman to woman, intrigued. _Typical_.

She didn't care.

Of all the killers, agents, and murders she had dealt with,

Nothing frightened her as much as the eyes of Dr. Anna Astor.


	10. Chapter 10

Look, an update! I love love love love love reviews and followers and favorites! Anakin, my little black kitten, does too! He enjoys sitting beside me when I'm typing, because it's the only time I'm partially still. Such a sweet kitty. This is sort of a two-part piece. The best is yet to come, tonight. _Jeg ejer ikke Hannibal, kun fordrukne Anna._

_-M_

* * *

"Is this how you intend to act the rest of the evening, Anna? Angry at me?"

Hannibal did not receive a response. The modelesque woman of bronze remained cross-armed in his passenger seat, glaring out the window.

"You really do look divine, _gana An-na_,"

Nothing. Not even a flicker of a smile. _When this woman holds a grudge, she means it._

"An-na,"

"_An-na_"

Hannibal sighed, patience waning.

"I stopped her from keeping the recording of my session with Will. She is a tabloid blogger of a crime scene explanation site. Do you understand how dangerous this could be to Will and cases?"

"I am aware,"  
It was a response, no matter how grumbled. Hannibal began to relax.

"When you ripped Ms. Lounds by her hair, I have never wanted to fuck you as badly as I did then."

Aqua eyes raced from the window to his face, gaping. Hannibal fought off a smirk. Instead he too looked away from the road, meeting her eyes calmly.

Predatorily.

Anna had never heard the good doctor use such language. It was a dramatic change from his usual romantic prose. Even when he asked someone to pass the salt, it sounded like a poem.

This,

This was something new.

"_Language_, doctor," Anna sneered, using his accent against him. A vein appeared across Hannibal's temple. He hated being mocked.

"She was a potential patient. I cannot have you frightening away clients, An-na,"

A loud, beautiful laugh filled his car. Startled, Hannibal turned to her. Anna Astor was holding her sides, ripping at the seams from ferocious laughter. He had never seen her laugh as she did from her belly, like this. The contagion of it was inescapable. A lopsided smile drew across Hannibal's face, checking the road and returning to Anna. "What? Why are you laughing?"

"Because, _dialus_, _gudrus _Hannibal, I do not feel that it was my words that frightened her away." Anna chuckled, wiping at her make-up. Those lips were deep red and glossy; the type he knew would leave a considerable mark.

"It was your eyes,"  
Anna's brows furrowed. "What?"

"It was your eyes and face that scared her the most, An-na. The way you looked at her with such coldness. It sent a chill down even my spine. It was…primal."

Red lips remained closed.

When she saw them together, Anna had snapped. That woman was a slithering snake hiding in the weeds, waiting to strike. It would have been the best bait, using Hannibal.

"…You know, if she were your next little entrée, I wouldn't object,"  
Hannibal laughed and Anna grinned. His car pulled into a long driveway.

He smiled at Anna Astor, holding her jaw, kissed her forehead. Her breath caught at the simple, romantic gesture.

Still unbelieving the cannibal doctor was capable of such gentleness.

"Don't want Jack suspecting too much, with those carnivorous lips," Hannibal teased. He had taken the food container delicately from her, standing on the steps up to the side door of his home. Anna pushed the container lower in his hands, having it hover near his waist.

Figuring out his tie, pulling his shirt apart and away from his body.

Red lips pressed to him, the skin of chest, over his heart. A perfect, lip-shaped stain left imprinted as she pulled away.

Anna Astor smiled, re-buttoned the doctor's shirt,

And left him standing there, speechless.

* * *

"Jack, it is a pleasure to see you," Hannibal Lecter greeted pleasantly. Agent Crawford smiled, shaking the hand offered to him. "Dr. Lecter, it's good to see you again as well,"

His house was as impeccable as his psychology practice. Everything about it felt classic and expensive, from the walls to the furniture to the shining floors and plush carpets.

"Your house is extraordinary, Doctor," Crawford had to admit. He seemed pleased with this compliment and nodded accordingly.

Dinner was already waiting for them as they sat, though there was an extra setting pre-made. Crawford turned his head in confusion.

"Was I supposed to bring someone, Doctor?"

"No, but an unexpected guest may have decided to grace your presence," A sweet voice cheered. Two hands were belittled as they slid onto Dr. Lecter's shoulders, pearly smile facing Crawford. He tensed at the sight of Anna Astor, dressed quite…arousing.

He missed the dark gaze of Hannibal Lecter as Anna seated herself, pulling a cloth napkin into her lap. Blue eyes found his and widened.

"Is my being here a hindrance to you, Mr. Crawford? I don't mind leaving-"

"No, no. I just hadn't expected you," he clarified, "and you can call me Jack,"

Her smile was stunning as those puckered lips spoke his name. "_Jack_."

_I am a married man. I am a married man._

* * *

"This is delicious. What type of meat is this?" Jack Crawford had no qualms with his frantic eating, addicted to the fine cooking of Dr. Lecter. Anna tilted her head and waited for an answer as well.

"Pork," Was all Hannibal revealed. Anna's eyes narrowed and Hannibal glanced at her, averting quickly with a smirk.

"Does he cook often for you, Anna?" Her dreamy face turned towards Jack. A smile unfolded.

"Oh, yes. He believes my eating habits are atrocious."

"Two candy bars and a diet coke does not a proper meal make, An-na,"

Crawford laughed. Hannibal shook his head at her in dismay, trying not to smile. The brunette shrugged skinny shoulders.

"Perhaps my culinary skills are just not up to par with yours, doctor. Why attempt when I've tasted the forbidden fruit?"

Only Hannibal caught the meaning behind her words. She watched his face darken over like thunder clouds.

It wasn't anger that she saw on his face. It was something much better.

Anna Astor stood with a clap of her hands. "I have, however, provided dessert! You two have a nice little chat as I put on the finishing touches, yes?"

The two men nodded, Crawford's smile still on the corners of his mouth. Anna chuckled and stalked out, fingers brushing Hannibal's as she passed.

* * *

"Playing with fire still I see, Dr. Lecter," Crawford commented, sitting back in his chair. Their conversation had went from his wife to his mother to Graham, circling back to the doctor himself. Brown eyes met his, impervious.  
"And to what could you possibly be referring to, Jack?"

"You know who I'm talking about, Hannibal,"

The doctor replaced his wine glass on the table, smirking at his empty place setting. Anna had expertly whisked them away in one easy trip.

"Perhaps I'm psychoanalyzing her on my own time, Jack,"

"For some reason I doubt that, Dr. Lecter," Crawford answered bluntly. Hannibal shrugged. "Believe what you want,"

Anna Astor was a vision of the perfect wife for Hannibal Lecter. They never spoke over one another, held their conversations equally, and shared the same mannerisms. They even dressed in the same overly-formal way, for Christ's sake.

_If there was anyone who could keep Astor in check,'_ Crawford mused, _'It's Lecter.'_

The darker man shrugged as well. "So long as you know what you're doing, Hannibal, I don't see where I have room to comment,"

The doctor smiled. That close-lipped smile that always peaked on his mouth. Cordial. "And I thank you for that."

"Uh oh. I think my ears are burning," Someone interrupted the ended conversation. Anna's narrow form slipped from the kitchen door, balancing three china plates on one arm. Both men began to stand, offering help. She waved them off with a flick of her hand.

"My, my. What is this?" Jack wondered. A perfect cylinder of pink mousse topped with white cream sat atop a thick, dark gold cookie. A fourth of a strawberry lay against the whipped cream, three green leaves sprouting from the stem. A ripe raspberry faced the other direction, sleeping in the bed of cream as well. The plate was decorated with painted syrup, first red then white, all the way around the dessert.  
It was so beautiful, Jack almost didn't want to eat it.

"It's-"

"Lithuanian strawberry torte," Hannibal answered instead, softly. Anna beamed.

"I did some research between patients today. It doesn't appear Lithuanians have much of a sweet tooth. Most of the desserts were breads, and I didn't have the hunger for that. Luckily, I came across traditional tortes. Surprise, Dr. Lecter! I hope you both enjoy it."

Crawford noticed the way Hannibal Lecter looked at Anna. She smiled back at him, hesitant.

Hannibal returned the look tenfold.

* * *

"My god, this is good," Crawford groaned. Every bite was small to make it last, even when he really just wanted to stuff the whole dessert in his greedy mouth. Dr. Astor smiled beautifully.

"Are my skills up to par, then, Jack? I was quite trepid to follow Hannibal's culinary mastery."

"I think she's giving you a run for your money, Hannibal," Crawford answered seriously. Anna laughed and Hannibal nodded.

"I should have known sweets would be her forte. In that department, she most assuredly has me beaten," Crawford sighed, closing his eyes with another bite.

"Anna, what's in this besides strawberries? There's a sort of twang that I can't just put my finger on. It's what really gives you an edge over Hannibal,"

Anna Astor tilted her dark head, cat eyes lidded upon her face. Those blood red lips pulled into a little smile.

"That, Agent Crawford, is my little secret."

Hannibal's attention immediately drew to the woman. Anna ignored his look, sipping instead from her wine glass. In one swallow she finished it off, offering it expectantly to Hannibal. He refilled it with mild disdain.

"Well, Dr. Lecter, Anna, I feel that I've impeded on your generosity long enough. I really must get home to the Missus."  
"Oh, you should have brought her!" Anna exclaimed with a pout. Her cheeks were ruddy from the wine and her emotions appeared easily now. Crawford grinned.

"I suppose I'll have to next time. Maybe you can teach her a thing or two about cooking." The woman happily nodded.

* * *

"You'll see her home, won't you? I'm not sure she's fit to drive," Crawford muttered to Hannibal. Anna had said her good-byes in the dining room, remaining behind to clear away the table. Hannibal couldn't stop a smirk as he nodded. "She did not drive here to begin with: I picked her up. Do not worry, Jack, Ms. Astor is in capable hands."

Jack Crawford decided not to comment on that remark.

Hannibal Lecter stood on his doorstep until Agent Crawford was in his car. With a wave, he disappeared into the night.

The good doctor returned to his house, mind caught on only one thought.

_Anna_.


	11. Chapter 11

Well, hello there. This is what I've been trying to lead up to for the past couple of chapters. It's a little more complex, I believe, so I hope it isn't too confusing. I love all reviews, favorites, and followers. I'm sure you know that by now. Enjoy, my wonderful friends. Listen to Heavy in Your Arms by Florence + The Machine after. I own not Hannibal, but Anna.

-M

* * *

When Hannibal Lecter returned to the dining room, he was panicked to find no trace of Anna Astor.

The kitchen was spotless. Every dish had been returned to their cabinet, every glass shining on the counter. The tall doctor pivoted on heels and headed to the living room.

Nothing.

"Anna?" He called. No reply came. Hannibal stood completely still, listening for her soft voice, her footsteps. A _thump_ resonated and the good doctor dashed forward.

The small, beautiful brunette was stumbling through his study, scrutinizing pictures, books. An empty wine bottle dangled from her fingertips, lips stained. Mixed with the make-up she already wore, her mouth looked like a swollen apple.  
Ripe for the picking.

"An-na," He murmured. Startling eyes turned to him, furrowed. She gestured around the room. "You have no pictures of your family, or of you. You don't have any pictures of anyone. Just famous artwork and photography. Do you have _any_ friends, Hannibal Lecter?"

Hannibal was at a loss. He expected anger, repulsion to fill him. It did not.

Instead he simply watched Anna Astor peak in drawers, trip over rugs. With a an exaggerated sigh she left the room, running fingers over his chest.

Room to room she searched. Hannibal did not stop her, though he couldn't comprehend why.

Anna stilled suddenly. Blue eyes slowly turned to him, fearful. "You didn't drug me, did you?"

The look of repulsion on Hannibal Lecter's face was answer enough.  
Anna smiled prettily, patting his cheek. "Let's play a game, Handsome Hannibal,"  
He caught her fingers with his, rubbing them gently. "And what game would that be?"

"Hide and seek. You have to go count in the garage to one hundred, and I'm going to hide."

"Anna, I don't-"

"If you play and catch me under five minutes, I'll tell you what was in the strawberry torte," She cut off before he could begin. Eyebrows rose, amused. Anna's smile was one of a fox, pushing the large doctor to the door. "Go!"

_This is utterly ridiculous. I have been deduced to childish games, just to learn what body part I enjoyed for dessert._

"One hundred," Hannibal announced, rising to his feet. The house was dead silent once again. He figured she wouldn't hide in a room previously visited; there would be no fun in that.

"You are quite silent for a drunken woman, _mazus Anna_," He cooed. She did not giggle as he expected.

Three minutes passed by quickly. Hannibal made his way to the master bedroom, finding the door parted an inch.

Dr. Lecter found her just exiting his bathroom, eyes wide,

dress nowhere to be found.

* * *

"I-I threw up," Anna mumbled. The brunette feared the worst when he didn't answer, assuming it for his repulsion.

He had hardly even heard what she said.

"I…There's no mess, but it did get on my clothes, a little. I washed my mouth out with mouthwash, but poured it into the l-lid. I cleaned everything up after. I'm s-sorry." Hannibal was staring at her still, face a dark canvas. Anna physically shrunk back. "H-Hannibal? Are you mad at me? I'm sorry, I-"

"Please," The doctor's voice was haggard, scratchy. She had never seen him so distressed. "_Please put some clothing on, Anna._"

Blue eyes looked around, unsure of what to use. Hannibal briskly went to his closet, returning with a white button-down shirt.  
Anna Astor stood only in a strapless lace bra and small matching underwear, oblivious to herself. It took every fiber of his being, not to rip what little she had left on from that perfect body. It only worsened when he realized she couldn't even put the shirt on by herself.

Hannibal sat on the edge of his bed, Anna standing before him, holding onto his shoulders. Memories raced through his mind. His fingers trembled, attempting to button his own shirt over her soft skin.

She was too close, too far in. She was running through his blood like oxygen, filling his mind, his body, his heart.

Anna Astor was breaking him.

Cold fingers cupped his face, looking to him. Anna's expression was no longer scared or sad, but concerned. Never had the impassive doctor seemed so distraught and tormented. It burned her as true as a fire.

"Hannibal, what's the matter? Please," The brunette in an oversized shirt fell to her knees, hands on his thighs, "Please, _let me in_."

"Anna," Her name fell from those red lips. Even with only half her normal conscious, Anna felt the heaviness. She was so heavy in his mind.

Fingers curled into his legs, pleading. It was not her eyes that looked away,

but Hannibal's.

Abruptly she stood, swallowing the choked lump in her throat. Fingers clenched tightly on her sides as Anna left Hannibal Lecter's room.

_You are a fool, Anna Astor_.

* * *

The knock on his front door made Hannibal jump.  
Swiftly, he moved through the house, to the front door.

Will Graham stood on his doorstep, looking grave.

"Will? What are you doing here?" Hannibal asked. Even in such an emotional state the cool demeanor didn't waver. He was as he always was.

Level-headed Dr. Hannibal Lecter, psychoanalyst.

Graham's mouth opened and closed as a dark figure whisked past them, glossy hair bouncing with the speed.

"Let's go," Anna Astor muttered, arms tightly crossed over her chest. She had found a long pea-coat in a downstairs closet, now enveloping her body fully. Heels had returned to narrow feet and not once did her walk falter.

"…Anna called me," Graham decided to answer after all. For once he didn't receive that impenetrable expression.

For once, Dr. Hannibal Lecter looked positively human.

A car door slammed. Graham turned, not knowing what else to say.

Hannibal was rooted in the same spot as the two slipped out of his reach, into the night.

* * *

The ride was silent. Graham didn't ask and Astor didn't tell. Her face was a wall of stone, boring out to the pitch night.

He wound around her driveway, parked next to the mansion-house. Small solar-powered lanterns lit the cobblestones to her front door, hanging from looped black poles.

He hadn't even thought, when she called.  
Into his car, directly to Hannibal Lecter's house.

Feline eyes turned to Will Graham, half-lidded, knowing. She had known all along, he assumed. He met her gaze, heart beating against ribs.

The innocence of before had left her body, and there was no going back.

"Will...would you like to come inside?"

* * *

Shower running, house still, silent.

Hannibal Lecter stripped his clothing off, layer by layer. All he wanted was peace of mind, equilibrium.

Instead he had been gifted the conscious of a hurricane, destroying everything in its path, everything it touched.

This was because of _her_. Before she came his life was _perfect_. He never felt the pain he did now, before her. It was _her_ fault.

Anna Astor had ruined _everything_.

Rage filled the pit of his stomach, clenched his senses. Hannibal Lecter could see only red.

And then,

all of his hatred

fell away

as he found his reflection in the mirror.

A perfect, beautiful kiss remained imprinted over Hannibal Lecter's heart.


	12. Chapter 12

Hello! I waited a whole day to let chapter eleven sink in! I hope everyone enjoyed it. It has been raining for three straight days here, and everything has flooded. I never thought I would grow tired of rain. I certainly have now. I hope you enjoy the update, review, favorite, and follow! I'm so thankful for everyone who does. _Jeg ejer kun lille Anna._

-M

* * *

"He was _smiling_, Jack. He made _eye_ _contact_. It was so bizarre, and uncharacteristic to Will. Something's happened. Something big,"

Dr. Alana Bloom shared Hannibal Lecter's frown. Jack Crawford sat before the two, fingers steepled. The man didn't seem nearly as ruffled by the news of Will Graham's good mood as they were.

"Maybe he had a nightmare-less night?"  
"He would be even more wary if that were the case."  
"Found a new stray? Got Fido to finally balance a ball on his nose?"  
"Be serious, Jack."

Crawford sighed, rocking his girth into the reclining chair. Hands met behind his head as a smirk came to pass.

"Maybe he just got lucky."

The interest of Dr. Lecter piqued. His impassive face minimally tilted. "What do you mean to imply by that, Agent Crawford?"

"I _mean_, Dr. Lecter," Jack leaned forward, eyeing him coyly, "That _maybe_ Graham finally got laid. The same luck you were gifted with last night, no doubt,"

"I don't understand," Bloom interrupted. Jack still held a smirk but Hannibal had visibly stiffened. Long fingers separated and clenched, slipping into slack pockets, hiding.

He had left with her.  
Will Graham had left his house with Anna Astor.

_And what entitles you to be jealous, you who so desperately pushed her away._

"_You needn't worry about it, Alana_," Three sets of eyes all rose.  
In a black, zip-down, mint-and-pink-rose floral bustier, tucked into a pale pink chiffon skirt, tan legs stalked in on mint heels.

Dr. Bloom noticed the way they sat straighter, more alert. Attention never leaving the beautiful brunette with the dreamy eyes and pleasant mouth.

Anna Astor smiled at her, falling to the chair between Dr. Lecter and herself. Legs crossed smoothly with the rise of her eyebrows. "Men will be men, speaking of vulgar topics even in the presence of a female psychologist."

"Dr. Bloom already knows the hideous nature of men," Jack laughed with a shake of his head, "why should we change our mannerisms when she knows how we _really_ are anyway?"

Aquamarine eyes blinked as slow as her smile.

"I suppose there isn't one. You cannot ask a man to change his ways any more than you can ask a Dalmatian to erase his spots," Anna smiled beautifully to Hannibal. "Right?"

_Something isn't right. Something is very, very wrong here._

Hannibal bore his gaze into Anna's skull. That transfixing smile was as cold as the Arctic.  
_Am I the only one feeling this tension?_

"Do you believe Will is ready to meet with Abigail Hobbs?"  
Alana shot the opposing woman a look. _No. No. __**No**__._

Anna Astor simply shrugged.

"Personally, I think it would be best if _you_ met with her,"

"Anna?" It was the first word Dr. Lecter had spoken since the third doctor arrived. Bloom anticipated Anna's movement to Hannibal. It did not occur, eyes locked on to Jack. "And why would that be, agent Crawford?"

He seemed to contemplate the answer. Dr. Bloom was as curious as the duo. Why would he send a woman, whose job no one was really even sure of, over _her_, a well-known psychologist? She had already met with Hobbs before. Crawford's fingers intertwined once more, chin resting heavily upon them.

"Because Alana has mentioned Abigail Hobbs' certain…Mental quirks. Between the manipulation and lying, you should be able to decipher the truth from the false. I believe Abigail will be intimidated by you in a positive way. A sort of role model, perhaps," Three doctors stared at him. Jack sighed.

"You are a very beautiful woman, Dr. Astor, and quite charming when you want to be. Work your ways on her. Get me my information,"

"Allow me to bring Will Graham as well. I will do what I can with the girl and introduce Will afterwards," Anna smoothly bargained. Jack Crawford did not enjoy ultimatums.

In this case, however, Dr. Astor was asking exactly what he wanted.

"Fine." Dr. Bloom let out an aggravated sigh. Crawford fought the urge to roll dark irises. "Take Dr. Bloom and Dr. Lecter with you."

"I don't _need_ them. You know I was once a practiced psychologist. I am grown-up enough to watch over little William," Anna disputed, every word sharply articulated. Alana watched her curiously.

Dr. Astor was beyond annoyed by this new compromise. Her skin stretched with her jaw, smile faded. The woman was a expressionless doll, and for a moment Alana saw her true age.

In a blink the moment was over, façade returned. Jack Crawford was adamant. There was no point in arguing with a brick wall. Dr. Astor breezily looked away.

"Very well then. I am ready whenever. I assume we have to go inform Graham?"

"Yes," Dr. Lecter answered. A tick ran through Anna Astor's jaw.  
She didn't even acknowledge him.

"Dr. Astor?" Bloom asked, hesitant. The brunette turned. "Were…Ah, do you know where Will was last night? What he was doing?"

Anna blinked once, very slowly. With the rise of her chin, smiling mouth agape, she answered.

"Why, he came home with me."

* * *

"Dr. Astor!"  
'_I'm not in the mood for this_,' Anna thought. She was exhausted. Hung-over. The morning was spent reviewing the previous day's occurrences.

She had found Special Agent Will Graham in her bed, passed out. Grey boxer-briefs and askew glasses had been his only forms of clothing.

Anna couldn't even remember what she did to him.

_Whatever it was, it was just to get back at Hannibal._

"Hi! Anna, right?" It was a rookie agent, tall and smiling. He looked about five years younger than she, with short, neatly tousled black hair and thin lips, eyes brown and naturally narrow. While he was lanky he seemed well-built, with ivory skin and a charming grin.

For a moment, Dr. Astor forgot how tired she was.

"My name is Anna, yes. But I don't know your name. Should I?" He laughed at her innocent tone, long lashes batting. The agent shook his head as Anna smiled.

"I'm Agent Mergim Vulpiano." _What a terrible name. How awful._

Thin lips were smirking at her. Anna eyes widened at his reply; "You think it's a stupid name, don't you."

"I…Perhaps unfortunate," Anna tried to backtrack. Agent Vulpiano laughed and she blushed, surprised at how easy she had become to read. If this stranger could see through her so easily, how would she manage the day with Will and Hannibal?

"Most people just call me Agent Vulpi. It's easier," He was smiling at her, again. Lips quirked on their own before spotting an upcoming figure.

"It still isn't a very good name, I'm afraid," Anna replied with a shy smile. Footsteps were drawing closer and yet she didn't look away from the boy.

Agent Vulpiano's charm wore on as a man came to stand beside the slender female. Hands buried in slack pockets, weight shifting from heels to toes.

"But now you won't forget it, will you, Anna Banana."  
Those baby blues widened and Agent Vulpiano smiled with aching charisma. Turning on his heel, walking away.

Ignoring the hatred on Dr. Hannibal Lecter's face.

"A little young for you, yes?" Hannibal's words were careless, cold. Anna hummed to herself.

"Anna," He reproached suddenly. The woman was floating off once more, ignoring his call. The walk to Will's teaching hall was a long one, and with the decision of cutting through the courtyard, Anna set off.

Hannibal was hot on her trail, gently catching her wrist just as the green, scented area of grass and flowers came to view.

Memories of previous encounters entered his mind as Anna ripped her hand away, gloss hair a whirlwind. "Do _not_ touch me, Hannibal."

"You are overreacting. If you had answered me civilly I would not have reached out for you,"

"Oh Hannibal, '_reaching out to me_' isn't the term I would use when it concerns you," She answered snidely. The lines etched into his face, of regret and worry, tugged at her.

He had his chance. She had been right there.  
And he rejected her.

"What happened between you and Will Graham last night?" The voice was quiet, dangerous. Anna looked to the sky, pretending to be dreamy.

_Nothing major, if I can't even remember. I woke up in Lily's bed, fully dressed._

"Anna," Brown eyes struck her down. Dr. Lecter was all business once more. With his shoulders back, face of stone, Anna Astor remembered all the reasons why she hated and wanted the good doctor so much.

"Does it piss you off, Dr. Lecter? Not knowing? Wondering if I slept with Will Graham?" She watched those long fingers clench, that jaw go tight. "Are you angry with jealousy, or because you just don't know for sure?"

"_Anna_," It was a hissing snarl, a growl.

"Hannibal, you don't care about me. You want to control me."

"You do not understand _anything_, you _stupid_ _girl_," The doctor hissed at her. Anna only smiled.

The woman was an oxymoron as a whole being. So slender and feminine, with brilliant smiles and candy-sweet mannerisms.  
With deadly intelligence and inclined to a foul mouth and cold eyes.

Anna Astor was almost as fucked up as he was.

"Handsome Hannibal," She cooed, circling him slowly. Tense shoulders did not move. "-would you like to know who I killed for your little dessert?"

"You are a liar, _gana An-na_. There have been no new reports. I'm sure Crawford would have heard," He managed through clenched teeth. She was playing him, so easily. Finally the woman came to stand before him with a sly expression.

"Why, Hannibal. You act as if you're the only one who knows how to play this game. Do you not think I'm capable of having a body disappear? I, who work in one of the _largest hospitals in the state_?" The words were breathed against his lips, small hands on his chest. The weight of her body against his had stilled him once more.

If he moved, she would surely pull away.  
For now, this could be enough.  
For now, even angry Anna was better than no Anna at all.

Her hands found his, slipping cold fingers through each opening.

Anna Astor kissed him out of pure spite.  
Even with this in his mind, Hannibal Lecter enjoyed every second.

Pink lips brushed his cheek, his ear.

Her open mouth breathed hot air against his skin,  
Ushering only one sentence.

_"I will make you suffer."_

* * *

www. pictacular .co/fashionfeen/media/383926943251869766_24418755


	13. Chapter 13

Hello, hello. What a busy week! My brother performed in _Joseph and the Amazing Techni-colored Dream Coat_ last night. It was beautiful. I love all reviews, even if everyone loves to tell me how much of a Mary Sue Anna is. Most OC's are, and I'm sorry if I've fallen into the category. I'm always open for suggestions. Please review, follow, and favorite! I'll probably be updating more frequently, once again. I graciously thank everyone for their support.

-M

* * *

_"Hello, Astor residence."_

_"Cecelia"_

_"Miss Astor! Is everything alright?"_

_"Fine, Cecelia. I was calling to check when Lily will be home again. I need her for a little field trip by Friday. Is it a holiday weekend or must we sneak her out?"_

_"It just so happens spring break starts next week. Lily should be home by this Thursday."_

_"Perfect. I will send you the address she should come to," _

_"Is it close, or out of state?"_

Anna Astor glanced up. Will Graham, speaking intensely of the copycat killer, was watching her. Another set of dark eyes were cast upon her as well. Anna frowned.

_"Minnesota."_

"What was that about?" Hannibal asked upon her return. Will's class dismissed and he joined the three doctors.

"Recruiting special forces," Anna answered simply. The brunette had decided to ignore Dr. Lecter once again, only answering his questions in the most minimal way. She wouldn't glance at that handsome, strong face she so desperately wanted to scratch and kiss at the same time.

"What's up?" Graham asked. The women shared a glance before Dr. Bloom spoke up. "Crawford wants you to speak to Abigail Hobbs. You and Anna."

"Are you ready now? We are," Anna rubbed her arms subconsciously. Without thinking Will removed his jacket and gave it to Anna, taking pleasure in the surprised smile she suddenly wore.

Hannibal Lecter gave nothing away but the slight sneer of his lips: a grimace to a trained eye. Just the sort he was hoping for.

The night Will Graham had taken the intoxicated Anna Astor home was the night he found the emotionless, cold woman no more a fierce tiger than a kitten. She kissed him as he was never kissed before, pressing her body to his,

And burst into tears.

_"W-Will, I c-can't!" Anna wailed, pushing away from him. Haggard breaths filled his mouth, confused. The fierce woman looked at him so pitifully, he almost laughed. _

_She was adorable. An adorable drunken woman, with messy make-up and frizzing hair. Those blue eyes swam with tears, face crunched, wrinkled._

_"Damn him! Damn that Hannibal Lecter and his charm! I hate men! I hate them! I hate Hannibal Lecter! I hate you!" Graham's eyebrows rose and Anna covered her mouth, looking shocked. "Will, no. Not you, I don't hate you. I didn't mean that."_

_Graham chuckled and nodded his understanding. The woman's expression fell as she slumped over, pressing her tear-stained face to his chest._

_"I'm drunk," Anna stated. Will nodded again. _  
_"Yes, yes you are."_  
_"I hate Hannibal."_  
_"No, you don't."_  
_"Don't tell me how I feel, Will Turner."_  
_"What?"_

Anna looked at him, burst out into laughter. She led him to a room and stated that it was where she would sleep.

Will Graham did not leave until Anna Astor slept peacefully, drooling on silk sheets.

He found another room, too tired to go home, and slept as well.

* * *

"So, Dr. Astor. Do you have any hobbies?" Dr. Bloom was attempting small talk, awkward in the backseat with Lecter. Anna sniffed.

"I enjoy ballet. I took dance for many years as my niece does now. We often go to professional shows as well as practice at my home. I also enjoy music and reading, but who doesn't?"

"I didn't know you had a niece! So do you have a sister, or brother?"

"I have no living relatives other than my niece," Anna answered. There was no sadness in her voice, or annoyance. There was nothing. As if she had just given the time, or directions.

Alana Bloom quieted.

"…Are you married, Alana?" The woman politely returned. Anna hadn't meant to embarrass the psychologist as she had. Not to this extent, anyway.

"No, no. Still haven't found Mr. Right,"  
The car as a whole thought of pointing out the probability of that ever happening. Hannibal and Anna thought better of it, while Graham received a silencing look from Anna.

_Surely as a psychologist, she already knows._

"Are you a romantic, doctor?" Hannibal asked. Dr. Bloom looked at him in surprise, registering his question as either true interest or sarcasm. She would answer either way.

"I suppose, in ways. I like flowers and chocolate as much as the next girl, but I don't quite have the style down as Dr. Astor has,"  
Anna chuckled from the front seat, smiling to her lap. "The doctor flatters me so,"

Alana Bloom remained thoughtful for a moment, glancing to the different characters within the car.

Both Anna and Hannibal sat pristine in their seats, shoulders back, jaw straight. Cross-legged, fidgeting fingers, and calm expressions, unyielding to the thoughts within.

They were so similar, Alana found herself laughing.

"Something funny?" Graham mused. Blue eyes glanced into the review mirror, finding her. Dr. Bloom grinned.

"I'm sorry, it's just…Well, Anna and Hannibal. They are the mirror image of one another. Like an old married couple so in-synch they aren't even aware of it anymore."

Anna Astor let out a gagging cough. A smirk instantly etched Hannibal's lips at both the comment and Astor's obvious displeasure. A hand swiftly turned the volume knob of the radio.

_'We are Never Getting Back Together_,' by the infamous Taylor Swift filled the car.

Feline eyes bore into Graham's skin, blatant.

"Will…Your audio is set on _cd_…"

* * *

"Hello. We're here to see Abigail Hobbs," Will explained. A dark-skinned nurse nodded, ushering them along a hallway.

The plan had been for him, Hannibal, and Alana to wait while Anna first introduced herself.

Upon learning that the young teenager had already received company from a young, curly-haired redhead, these plans had changed.

_"He catches insane men because he can think like them,"_

She was sitting on Abigail's bed when they arrived. The girl saw them first, eyes widened.

Freddie Lounds turned for an instant before staring intently at Abigail. "Because Will Graham is _insane_."

"I think it is time you left, Ms. Lou-"

"_Get out_," Anna Astor hissed over her counterpart, already lurching Freddie's way. The ginger physically stuttered before regaining her cool.

"If you ever want the truth, or need someone to talk to, Abigail, I'm here-"

_"__Je donnerais ton corps aux chiens!"_ The language spat from Anna's lips was foreign to all but Hannibal, who detected the French as he did with Cecelia. Rage colored the slender brunette and two strong arms caught her by the waist, pulling her back.

Freddie Lounds took this opportunity to scamper out, hardly getting a glance over her own shoulder.

"Now is not the time, An-na," A scratchy jaw was pressed to her temple, murmuring softly. Anna tensed, hands falling over the wrists meeting near her naval.

Hannibal Lecter had caught her, before she ruined her first impression on Abigail Hobbs.

The good doctor inhaled the scent of Anna's soft hair before arms fell lax. Blue orbs twisted to him, innocently surprised. A thank-you was on her tongue just before a petite cough rang out.

Abigail Hobbs was watching them all. Anna sighed, releasing Hannibal of her attention. "Abigail,"

"I don't think we've met," The teenager answered. Blue eyes quite similar to hers were attentive, calculating. Anna Astor beamed.

"We have and have not, Abigail Hobbs. I am Anna Astor-"  
"Another doctor?" Abigail warily interrupted. Anna's smile began to favor one side of her mouth.

"Not a type you need to concern yourself with, Abigail. I was there the day your father nearly succeeding in killing you,"

"_Anna_!" Dr. Bloom hissed. Dr. Astor hardly even acknowledged her.

She was far too interested in the girl before her.

"I brought you a gift," Anna commented simply.

Even Dr. Lecter was surprised as the pretty, sarcastic woman revealed her "gift," lopsided grin licking her face.

A shimmering, pale blue scarf hung from Anna Astor's fingertips.

"How about a walk?"

* * *

"_You are naughty, Ms. Astor."_

A wavy head perked up, stomach lurching at his language. Dr. Hannibal Lecter stood before her, hands in pockets, face calm. Anna sighed.

He found her finally, under a weeping green tree. Fingers ripped grass from its bed, floating away on the occasional breeze.

Their walk had been long and productive. Anna gained Abigail's trust without difficulty, leading her around by the arm and laughing. It came so easily to her, charisma. The pretty doctor planted the thought of Abigail returning home into her mind, and so it grew. Crawford would be pleased.

Anna had disappeared afterwards, leaving Alana Bloom and Will to look after the girl.

Seeing the girl had divided her into two halves. On one side she was reminded so much of herself, and Lily. On the other, the unsettling feeling of mental instability already developed in Abigail Hobbs.

A heavy body fell against the tree next to her. Anna did not turn; just continued shredding grass.

"You will ruin your dress."  
"I can afford a new one."  
"That is not the point."  
"I will have to change for tonight anyway."

Hannibal's face showed the first sign of emotion. Her head delicately turned to his, smiling.

Dr. Lecter was too proud to ask, and she knew it.

_Good. Let him suffer._

"I did not know you were fluent in French," Anna turned away with a gentler smile.

"If my household speaks it, would it not make sense for me too, as well? My last name is French, as were both my parents." Hannibal appeared interested as the woman leaned back, closing her eyes.

"_Astor. A provencal surname traditionally given to people whose natures resembled those of birds of prey,"  
_Hannibal chuckled.

"Perhaps _you_ are Hobbs' accomplice, An-na," She smirked at his silly comment, sending him a look despite herself.

"Or perhaps it is you, dear doctor."

"Hey! Is the odd couple ready to go?" Dr. Bloom grinned at the two, appearing between the curtain of leaves. With ease Anna was already gliding past her.

Alana Bloom turned to Hannibal. He held her gaze before smiling lightly.

"Have you been keeping up with the current events of North Korea, Dr. Bloom?"

"I'm afraid I have not," Hands slid into pockets as Hannibal sauntered forward.

"A famine has run rampant through the farming states of _Hwanghae_, driving people to extreme forms of starvation. One man, recently brought in by their government, said he was caught between the choice of eating his wife, or their children."

Hannibal Lecter watched Alana, face calm. With almost a hint of a smile, standing so close to her, he finished;

_"The man was executed for murdering and consuming his three children."_


	14. Chapter 14

Oh, what an exciting life I lead. Thank you to all reviews, favorites, and followers!

-M

* * *

"Anna,"

A set of painted eyes rose, charming smile greeting him. "Agent Vulpiano. You made it,"

"I'd be a dick if I didn't when I asked _you_ out, wouldn't I?" Anna laughed, nodding.

Night had fallen as the two ordered dinner. Anna had replaced her girly outfit for a sleek black dress, hugging hips, cut deep down her chest.

Magrim Vulpiano was putty in Astor's hands

"So, no brooding doctor looking over your shoulder tonight?" Anna's head tilted curiously. Vulpi grinned. "Dr. Lecter."

"Ah, him." Red lips only curved wider. Subtly she leaned forward, watching the agent's Adam's apple bob with a quick swallow. "Let's not ruin the night with such nonsense, hmm? I am not here with him, I'm here with _you_."

* * *

_"Astor?"_  
_"What do you want, Will. I'm busy"_

Will Graham glanced around the room. Crawford, Bloom, and Dr. Lecter were watching him intently. Both men had attempted Anna Astor's new-found cellular number, receiving a voice-mail answer.

Upon Will's call, the woman had decided to pick up.

_"Where are you?"_  
_"Some overpriced boutique with Cecelia, fighting over a wardrobe for Lily's room. Why?"_  
_"Crawford has decided to go through with Abigail's wish of driving all the way to her home state."_

_**"That is a nineteen hour drive. If that idiot thinks I will remain in a car with you people for that long he's fucking-" **_Graham instantly tore the phone from his ear with a grimace. Hannibal nearly smirked. He felt quite the same way. Crawford snatched at the phone.

_"Care to finish that sentence, Astor?"_  
_"You think I am swayed in opinion just because you can hear it? I won't drive all the way there. I will not. Perhaps if she decides against staying in Minnesota, we can drive back. But in her health condition it would be unwise for her to travel such a distance in a tight, motorized vehicle. I am giving this as my medical opinion. I will see Dr. Bloom, Abigail, Dr. Lecter, and William tomorrow."_

Anna hung up abruptly, just as a tall, handsome man came back to her table. Anna beamed.

"I was beginning to fear that you had left me, Agent Vulpiano." The young man laughed.

_"You, Anna? Never."_

* * *

Agent Magrim Vulpiano was on a role.

Led to her empty, beautiful home, body against his. Hands on his chest, pulling his hair, unzipping his pants.

The brunette goddess sat on his hips, undressed to matching Victoria's Secret. Those seductress lips smirked and fell open, pressing to his. A sharp, quick pain caught his side. Vulpiano flinched but let it pass, returning to the bliss of Anna Astor.

Time was slowing. Hands felt like lead and they fell away from the woman.

The woman, sitting up slowly, watching him,

Syringe in hand.

"What…_what the fuck_?" He managed, too tired to raise his head. Anna almost looked sympathetic.

"_You…drugged me_?"

"Oh, Magrim. I haven't drugged you." Anna slid off his waist, standing on long legs as she wiped the rim of her bottom lip with one finger.

_"I've killed you."_

* * *

It would be different, she thought, dissecting this time.

When she had so easily cut out a human's organs before, the men were murderers, rapists. It was almost _just_, killing them. This man, this single agent with no crimes other than hitting on her, had no record of fault.

And yet, her conscious did not waver. A force took over her body and killed Agent Vulpiano with one quick injection. His last sensation was her body against his.

And now, with his corpse on her basement table, he felt nothing.

* * *

"Good morning, doctor," Anna's voice was cheerful in greeting. Hannibal Lecter turned, curious. She was indeed speaking to him. A small bag dangled from one hand and eyebrows quirked. "Another gift for Abigail?"

"Actually, Handsome Hannibal, it's for you." Anna stepped closer, offering the bag. Her fingers still grasped the bag when he held it from the bottom. Blue eyes watched his, half-lidded.

"To tie you over the plane trip." her mouth murmured. Will caught her eye and Anna was off, catching a teenage girl near the agent by the waist.

"_Anna_!" Abigail squealed, though not angrily. The woman laughed and so it went, small talk initiating.

Hannibal opened the bag, curious. An oriental take-out box appeared with unsnapped chopsticks. He unfolded the box, revealing a bed of white grains sprinkled with diced vegetables. Dark, glossy chunks of meat were rooted in the rice.

With nimble fingers and an unmoving glance around, Hannibal Lecter picked a piece and stuck it between his lips.

It was _suburb_.

_Oh, __gražus __Anna, what a wicked web we weave._


	15. Chapter 15

Greetings and salutations! I would like to thank my lovely linguist, Victory87, for agreeing to double-check my French before posting. I love all favorites, followers, and reviews. I would also love to see if anyone can guess who Lily is modeled after, appearance-wise. Leave your guesses in a review, perhaps? Though I can't promise I'll tell. I own the Astor family, though no Hannibal.

-M

* * *

"Are you a mother?"

"I take care of my niece, Lily, but I will never replace her mother."

"Would you like to be one? A mother, I mean."

"One day, I suppose."

"You aren't married. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Abigail Hobbs was a natural-born detective in-waiting. Both Graham and Hannibal smirked from front seats, listening for Anna's tired sigh. Surprisingly, it didn't come.

"I'm very demanding. And particular."

"But you're so pretty. Surely a guy would do whatever you wanted-"

"If he did, then he wouldn't be a challenge, and there would be no point."

"Have you ever had sex?"

"_Abigail_." This time it was Dr. Bloom coming to Anna's rescue, snug to the left of the doctor in question. Anna smirked.

"I do not mind her questions, Dr. Bloom, any more than I had minded yours." That silenced the pleasant psychologist. Blue eyes smiled at another's. "Yes, I have."

"What was it like?"

The car was silent and still, curious of the answer. Anna inhaled deeply, thoughtful.

"_Complicated_."

"But it doesn't have to be," Abigail objected. The woman laughed.

"No, I don't suppose it does. And that's what you'll convince yourself to believe up until the moment you've finished, and realize that it changes everything."

Graham attempted to figure if Anna was speaking from experience, or implanting purity into Abigail's young conscious. Dr. Lecter had glanced at him before quietly returning to his window.

_That's right. He still thinks I slept with her._

"Do you have any pets?"

"A black kitten, Othello. Lily has a green iguana named Albus and a Hyacinth Macaw Parrot named Paris-"

"That's a ten thousand dollar bird" Graham exclaimed. Blue eyes furtively looked out the window. She coughed.

"You buy her whatever she wants, don't you," Will's tone was flat and accusing. Anna again made no comment.

Allowing them to believe she herself had paid for it, rather than her fourteen-year-old niece stealing and smuggling the rare bird from a Parisian aristocrat was for the better, anyway.

Yellow tape was coming into view and the car slowed, allowing Abigail one more question; "What does Lily look like?"

"You will soon find out," Anna Astor replied. Her door opened before she could push the handle. Dr. Lecter politely smiled down upon her, revealing himself. Anna took his offered hand and escaped the cramped car.

"A wise choice, not wearing your tall shoes today," Hannibal commented. Black ballet flats covered Anna's toes rather than high heels, bringing her height barely to his broad shoulders. The top-knot bun gave her a few more inches, she mused. A pale blue, sleeveless dress of chiffon tied loosely at her waist, falling into pleated ruffles as a skirt. Her blue eyes seemed lighter with the color of the material.

A hand slipped into Anna's before she could reply, pulling her away. Abigail Hobbs dragged the doctor on, whispering to her.

The two stopped dead at the sight of black paint splattered on the garage door.

**_'Cannibal'_** was written plain as day in hard letters. A pale, waif of a girl stood before it, blonde hair pulled high and knotted on her head. One hand was touching the painted door, as if admiring the work.

Lily Astor turned slowly, eyes wide before spotting Anna.

Time stood still for the width of a pencil, and then the girl shrieked.

* * *

"_Lily_!" Anna laughed, falling over as the young, tall female jumped onto her. Limbs crushed the breath from Anna, gleefully laughing. "We did it again! We dressed the same without even meaning to! Good thing I bought my dress in coral, rather than blue like you!"

Three adults and one wide-eyed girl watched the reuniting of aunt and niece, standing, hugging.

Hannibal and Will hadn't caught many similarities between Lily and Anna apart, but together, they almost appeared as sisters.

Down-turned baby lips, bird limbs. Strong bones and lively eyes. Though Anna's hair was a chocolate mass upon her head, Lily's shining blonde appeared the perfect compliment to hers. Anna cupped Lily's face and kissed her forehead, eyes closing.

Hannibal Lecter felt a wave of nauseous nostalgia rock his organs at the sibling love. He looked away quickly, turning instead to Abigail. "Shall we go in?"

* * *

"Your niece is _beautiful_, Anna. And so sweet," Alana Bloom graciously complimented. Anna beamed, glancing over at the two bonding girls. Abigail took to Lily as easily as she had to Anna, much to her relief.

"Do you think it was smart bringing her, though?" Will questioned gravely. "She could be a killer,"  
"Even killers have friends they would never wish to harm," Anna answered with a shrug. The two teenagers were coming back into the living room, arm-in-arm.

The bright blue eyes of her niece were upon Anna's face, mouth puckered.

_"Est elle l'une d'entre nous Anna?"_

Hannibal's attention quickly caught between the two relatives. Anna sighed, answering in French; "_Dr. Lecter can understand French as well: you know that._"

Lily smirked. A tilt of her head and the expression became innocent, big blue eyes glancing between the man and woman. With one last remark in French, Hannibal Lecter was completely caught off-guard by the young, elegant child:

_"Is he not a cannibal as well?"_

The widening of Dr. Lecter's eyes, mouth falling open, drew the immediate attention of the room. Lily let out tinkling laughter, holding on to her sides. "Have you never heard a vulgar French joke before, Dr. Lecter? Honestly!"

Lily smiled an Astor smile and fell beside Abigail. The two began to flip through an old photo album as if they were shared memories. The moment passed and Anna rose to her feet and stretched, wandering to the front hall. A dark head of hair had been shifting around the window's bushes for some time now.

"Hello," Anna greeted, opening the main door just as the woman -girl- began to knock. Startled, she took a step back.

"Hi. I-I'm a friend of Abigail's-"  
"She's in the living room. Please, come in,"

The brunette hurried through the door. Anna's eyes followed before a sharp force pushed her, knocking her to the concrete porch.

"Have you tripped, Ms. Astor?" A deep voice questioned. The door was quietly closing behind Hannibal Lecter, leaving the two silent and alone.  
Anna had no time to reply as strong hands gripped her by the forearms and yanked her to a standing position once more.

"_Hannibal_," Anna exclaimed, shifting in his grip. Fingers only bruised her skin further, face adamant.

To a passerby the man and woman merely appeared as a close couple, murmuring sweet nothings to one another.

In reality, the two doctors were anything but.

"Have you taken solace, confiding to your niece my cannibalistic ways, An-na?" His voice was nearly sing-song, watching her face in dark amusement. Anna struggled again to no avail. Finally she sighed, relaxing in his overpowering grip.

"No, Hannibal. I do not run to my fourteen year old niece to talk about cannibalism. I run to her about _love_,"

Hands loosened in surprise and Anna snapped away, smirking.

"Honestly, for a psychoanalyst you can be so _dense_."

Even with the scheme in mind, Anna was surprised how easily he released her. _Perhaps he isn't as cold-hearted as assumed._

"Then why would she ask, as if she already knew?" He calmly countered. Anna looked thoughtful. It was true that she never once mentioned Hannibal's eating mannerisms. _Could she have just guessed?_

"Lily is a very intelligent, perceptive girl. And, seeing as how you're still alive, she knows something must be different."

"How I'm still alive?" Hannibal watched the smirk lick Anna Astor's lips once more. Her face drew innocence as she swayed, hands clasped in front of her.

_It is now, or never. Lily has revealed us more than I would have hoped._

"I could make a list of them, if you like. The men I've murdered and fed to their own families in anonymous condolence gifts. Men who so easily took advantage of women and children, who deserved every cut I dug into them,"

Anna breathed in deeply. She hadn't noticed the stillness of Abigail Hobbs' street, how open, until she spoke. It reminded her of home. Dreamy eyes returned to the attentive Dr. Lecter. Even with her calm expression, the coldness in her mouth, her pupils, did not deceive him.

Somewhere, at some point in time, an individual had created this part of Anna Astor.

"Did you not find it odd that I had no quarrels with it? With _cannibalism_?" Such a dangerous conversation, spoken in broad daylight. The sole prodigy of the killer catcher, less than one or two rooms away.

It stopped neither doctor. Neither, who so cleverly hid in the sun.

"Who was it, An-na? Who was it that you fed to me?" Hannibal Lecter's voice held a tone of amusement, surprised exhilaration. Feline eyes looked away once more, expression smug.

"I don't think you'll need to worry about me dating anyone "too young" for a while."

Hannibal chuckled, despite himself. Even Anna could not stop a slim smirk, looking up to the handsome doctor.

_You are going to fall right back into the same bad decisions. You are going to push too far, too much, and he will cast you out._

"Ah, good. Have you two made up? Kissy-kissy faces once more?" Anna's eyes whipped to the door, finding a button-nosed girl grinning wickedly. A relieved sigh escaped her aunt, leaning back into her formal self once more. Lily tilted her head, eyes expectant.

"Abby and her friend have been in the backyard for a while now. Mr. Graham wants to check in on them. Wanna come?"

"It would be best," Hannibal answered. Lilly showed off chiclet teeth, offering her arms.

"Well let's go then, Auntie Anna, _Uncle Hanni_." The slight amusement of Hannibal was as clear as Anna's, both taking one bird arm and heading back into the house.

"A carnivorous little trio, we make," Anna commented, through the house and to the back. A boy stood on the brink of the backyard's hill, interacting with Abigail Hobbs. Anna smiled at Lily and then Hannibal. Her niece and counterpart gazed back, curious.

_"The snake, the rabbit, and the tiger."_

* * *

www. sheinside Green-Sleeveless-Ruffles-Pleated-Chiffon-Dress-p-1 11583-cat-1727. html


	16. Chapter 16

Hello. I'm so amazed and euphoric by all my readers and reviewers. It is the highlight of my day. Thank you _so_ much. _Anna yra mano paties kūrinys._

_-M._

* * *

_"He said he was a brother, of one of the girls,"_

Abigail Hobbs was finicky, eyes locked first on Anna and then Lily. A thin blonde appeared next to Abigail in an instant, holding her hand, comforting her. Dr. Bloom took to the other side of her and Lily looked out, frowning. A woman was hurrying after them.

"Marissa! _Come home now_!"

"Could you _be_ any more of a bitch?"

Anna's search for the intruder wavered as a new being stood adamant, presenting a loud mother-daughter feud on the horizon. _Who are these people, anyway? _

The more interesting sight was not the two women, but the dark, quietly disgusted look on Hannibal Lecter's face after the youngest's crude language.  
_Surely, he wouldn't-_

"He went that way," Graham stated, dismissing the yelling women as he treaded forward. No where in his job description did it say "_family mediator_."

Curly-headed Will and Dr. Lecter stepped over the trickling water without difficulty. A long-fingered hand reached out and Anna accepted it, lightly jumping across. Lily skipped over rocks, blue orbs searching.

Anna caught sight of the blood-splattered rock just as Hannibal did.

* * *

"Had you ever seen him before?"  
"No!" Abigail called out. Her voice was forgotten as tan legs stumbled, meeting the damp undergrowth.

"Anna!" Lily exclaimed. Will watched, useless, as both the girl and Hannibal careened over Dr. Astor, patting dirt and leaves from her limbs.

A pale, quick hand fell over the blood-splattered rock, hidden under a fold of chiffon dress. One sparkling diamond earring remained when the hand pulled away, nestled against the rock. A darker hand brushed leaves from her hair, letting them fall to place over the missing jewelry. Hannibal's face remained impassive, though impressed with the Astor's precise, effective reaction.

_They are a tag-team, disguised as harmless, helpless women._

"Fine, I'm fine! Just weak ankles,"

"Shall I carry you back to the house, then?" Accented words were caught between seriousness and a tease. Warmth graced Anna's cheeks and for the second time that day Lily grinned at Hannibal.

"I don't think that will be necessary, thank-"

"_I_ think it's _completely_ necessary. You are always telling me that ankles and feet are the most important body parts to a dancer. If you damage yours, who will teach me?"

Before Anna could retaliate strong arms had knocked her knees, catching her back and lifting her in one swift move.

Brown eyes all but smirked at her blushing face, fingers warm on her legs. Lily stifled her laughter, skipping back to Abigail.

_"Are you sleeping here? We three could stay, if you like…"_

* * *

_"I want to teach you a lesson, in the worst kind of way! Still I'd trade all my tomorrow's for just one yesterday."_

Anna Astor was rocking out.  
Dancing around the kitchen like the teenage girls in the next room would. Abigail and Lily were now snuggled in bed, watching terrible chick flicks. Hannibal had taken to the study, doing God knows what. Reading, Anna supposed.

Reading, or awkwardly brooding in a corner, creepily staring into the distance with no apparent expression.

Supper was simple and easy, though now Anna found herself with a small mound of dishes to clean. Wisps had fallen loose from their bun, shoes lost at the door. That voluminous hair whipped like a tornado, opposite of her shaking hips and arms.

_"Anything you say can and will be held against you, so only say my name, it will be held against you. Anything you say can and will be held against you, so only say my naaaaaaaame!-"_

"**_Anna_**." Her name cut through the music, outing a shriek from pink lips as hands caught her swaying hips.

Anna looked up to the amused face of Hannibal Lecter.

Fingers pulled a headphone from her, delicately holding it to his own ear. "…Such deep lyrics, An-na. I don't know how you manage to not burst into tears."

Anna allowed a grin just this once, wrapping her arms around Hannibal's wide shoulders. Having Lily with her, even if it was on a case, always lightened her mood.

"I have show tunes, if you prefer. _Moulin Rouge _is a favorite of mine," She offered with a keen quirk of her lips. A tilted eyebrow rose on Hannibal, hands gliding around her waist. "I am unfamiliar with that one, I'm afraid."

Instantly the woman pulled away, releasing the ear buds from the phone and placing both on the counter. With a few quick swipes of her finger, '_Complainte De La Butte_' filled the air. Hannibal found himself smiling as the woman swayed, twirling once before reaching out for him.

His hand met hers midair, intertwining fingers, pulling her close. Anna's other hand rested upon his shoulder and his on her waist, slowly waltzing. Blue eyes never left his soft gaze as they danced.

"You are a very gifted dancer," Anna complimented. He spun her with such ease, anticipating every step, leading her to twists and turns. Hannibal chuckled lightly at her words.

"My dancing is nowhere near your impeccable skills, An-na. Don't flatter me,"  
Her body came back to his and this time he didn't let go, swaying as one. A soft bed of hair came to rest above his heart, breathing slow. Hannibal inhaled deeply, wrapping his arm further around her waist.

"You are so narrow, I can hold you with but one arm," He murmured in a chuckle. Lips curved into his chest, lashes falling.

Anna Astor pulled away as the song ended, looking up at him with those crystal eyes.

He wanted to kiss her. To smother her and lock her away from the world, unwilling to share.  
He would be the only one, could be the only one she was allowed to harbor affections for.

Hands wrapped around the curve of her neck, gently rocking her forward. Lips met a cool forehead, lingering before kissing her again. Anna softly sighed.

"I know what you're doing, Hannibal,"

His lips rose against her face as he took her hand, swaying once more. "Oh? And what am I doing?"

"You are trying to suck up and leave me in a happy tizzy before go out to kill that smart-mouthed girl who visited earlier."

Hannibal pulled away with a smirk. Those duck-lipped expressions always made her pulse quicken. Anna tried her best to look angry but he merely chuckled, kissing her face once again.

"Stop it."

"Stop what, _An-na ba-nan-a_?" A pounding filled Anna's ears at the teasing voice sounding between the soft-lipped kisses sprinkling her face. The brunette attempted to pull away but the good doctor caught her jaw with one hand.

The charming, boyish smile of Hannibal Lecter was one very new and surprising to Anna.

"You look so shocked, _An-na_. Is this not what you wanted, me to be more open?" Hannibal squished her cheeks and leaned down, kissing her lips three swift times. Fingers circled his wrist and it lowered, caressing her neck and gliding under her right arm.

Dr. Lecter kissed her how he had wanted, taking his time as she warmed to him. Anna's eyes closed and suddenly she was kissing him back, fiercely.

"The rock is in the living room, on the top of the bookshelf," She begrudged, eyes still closed as her feet planted firmly once more on the linoleum. A laugh breathed into her mouth and still she felt his lips curve, still so close.

"You are beautiful, Anna Astor," The brunette almost huffed at him, watching with moody blue eyes.

Hannibal Lecter kissed her once more before leaving her body cold, heading to the door.

"An-na?" His accented voice was light. Anna hummed in response, dazedly viewing his broad back.

A sharp face angled to the side, eyes downcast.

_"You are aware that there are only two bedrooms, yes?"_


	17. Chapter 17

Hello! I'm having an awful week. I write fluff to feel better. Enjoy! I love all favorites, reviews, and followers. It really keeps me going through stressful times such as these.

-M

* * *

Everything was precise, perfect.

All evidence disposed of, leaving no trace but the body itself, ornately hung. Hannibal Lecter trekked back to the Hobbs' residence, silent as the night.

No glow came from the house, not even a whispering breeze in the air. Quietly he unlocked the door. Silence resounded. Shoeless feet led to the door of Abigail Hobbs, finding the dark-haired teenager sleeping face-to-face with a pale, angelic Lily Astor.

It should have been eerie, staying in the house she was almost murdered in, but Abigail Hobbs found the presence of the Astors and Dr. Lecter comforting. She had fallen asleep easily for the first time since her coma.

Hannibal silently filed into the master bathroom, showering, brushing his teeth. Soft breathing came through the cracked door from the bedroom. Even Anna was fast asleep. _So, she is a mouth-breather._

Consciousness stirred within her mind when the bed rocked, gaining the weight of someone new. Anna Astor sighed, reaching out to the opposite side of the bed.  
Fingers met the curling downy hair of someone's chest. A deep, steady pulse vibrated through her skin and Anna inhaled, turning on her side with sleepy eyes.

Hannibal Lecter softly gazed back.

"Hannibal," She murmured. Blue eyes closed with a blissful smile. "I was dreaming."

"Of what, little An-na?" He whispered.

Pearly teeth gleamed in the dim light, unaware of her words. "You were kissing me. Really, passionately kissing me."

"Do you dream about me often?"  
"Yes."

Her answer was one so surprising, Hannibal smiled. Still her eyes did not open, snuggling closer to his large frame. "It is the only time you let me in, in my dreams. The only time you confide in me."

"What is there to say, An-na? What have I to confide?" He wrapped his arm around the small body, pulling her close. Her breath warmed his bare skin.

"I know…nothing about you. Nothing at all," Lashes tickled him and Anna's head lolled away, blue irises finally open. He swiftly kissed her and she slithered up, lying a heavy head on the pillow next to his.

To let her in, to confide his memories to Anna Astor, would be putting her life at risk only further.

_Is it worth it, to feel compassion from someone so beautiful and wonderful, and destroy the barriers you've so carefully formed._

"I was born in Lithuania, to a count and a beautiful woman descended from the Visconti family of Milan. Together they had me, and my baby sister, Mischa,"

Anna was wide awake now, watching Hannibal's lips form words so quiet and deep. Never had she heard him mention anything of his former life.

"When I was six years old, a group of German deserters retreating from Russia took over my family's estate. My parents were murdered, as well as the servants. While Mischa and I lived, my little sister became ill. It was a cold, Baltic winter. We were starving."

Hannibal's words faltered. Arms were constricting around Anna's body but she did not cry out, keeping her breath calm. Fingers clenched her hair, ripping at the seams. Still she did not waver.

Hannibal Lecter had decided to trust her. _Her_, Anna.

"…They rounded many children up, at first finding it too inhumane to kill such innocent creatures. With the winter starvation, however, something had to be done. The Germans then turned to us for sustenance."

A cold sensation froze Anna's blood, inhale sharp. The distinct, painful features of Hannibal's face did not move, eyes closed. His breathing was deep. One long, heavy breath rose his chest against hers, fingers slow to curl upon her skin.

"Mischa was butchered and fed to us."

"Hannibal," Anna exclaimed despite her hardest attempts, reaching to him. The fingers lost in chestnut hair kept her still with such a force, restraining her. Her mouth fell open in surprise and two dark, glaring eyes met hers, face unreadable.

"Hannibal, please," Anna murmured with a swallow. So hard she tried, not to cry. It would make things worse; she knew it. Still her heart cried out and through the pain she pulled, breaking free of his hands. Anna Astor rose to her knees, pulling his shoulders with her. Hannibal froze, face burrowed into the woman's soft chest.

The twill-cotton fabric, smelling so richly of Anna, was familiar to him. A button caught his hair, his ear.

It was his shirt. The shirt he had given her the day she last visited his home.

Caressing his hair, skin, body gently shaking.

Anna Astor was crying.

Hannibal pulled away but was only held tighter, unrelenting.

"An-na," He murmured. Fingers were cool against his cheek as the brunette held his face firmly to herself. "An-na, please."

"No. No, I won't let go. I won't. Not this time, Hannibal."

Anna was no match for the doctor. With ease he slipped an arm around her waist, lifting her up as his torso fell away. Little hands balled into fists in her lap, eyes closing.

"An-na. Look at me, _brangieji, tiek Anna_,"

Two watery orbs finally met his. Her pink lips were a trembling pout and hair tumbled from a messy, uncontrollable bun.

Even with the fear of opening himself up to her, with the devastation he had just poured from his soul, Hannibal Lecter found himself smiling. Almost laughing. Those baby blues widened and harmless rage pounded the doorstep of Anna Astor's emotions.

"What the hell are you smiling about? Are you laughing at me, for crying over you? _Was anything you just said even true? I have no idea why I waste precious_-"

A hiccupped breath escaped as Anna was pulled to the bed, face crushed into the broad chest of Hannibal Lecter. Tremors filled his ribs as he still chuckled. Anna fought only for a few moments, giving up due to exhaustion.

The two remained in each other's arms, breathing as one. Lips trailed her forehead, her temples. Hannibal gently kissed her once, lingering on her skin.

"I laugh because you seem so innocent every once in a blue moon, Anna. So lovely, carrying your heart upon my sleeve," his chin rested against her head with one deep breath. "Every word I spoke is true."

Again the slender woman twisted herself up, knocking her forehead with his. Hannibal watched the smile on her lips curiously. Her hands pulled at his chest and cold feet ran up his calves.

"My favorite color is blue,"

Hannibal couldn't stop a small grin at her random confession. Anna's face was solemn, eyes upon his.  
"Blue as deep as the ocean. I live for the odd, formal suits you wear. I blissfully enjoy your impenetrable expressions and pouting lips. Your accent drives me up a wall and back with crazed female hormones,"  
He laughed, showing off white teeth for the very first time. Anna smiled. Hannibal only pulled her closer, settling in with closed, calm eyes.

"When you walk into a room, my thoughts are only filled with you. Always little An-na, with that biting feline expression and feminine clothing. Your smell is the most intoxicating scent to my senses. I think it is that outrageous amount of hair you have." Anna's swallowed at Hannibal's soft words. His face was so calm, childlike. She had never seen himself so vulnerable. "When you look at me, my body trembles. My heart pounds. It is the oddest emotion I have ever felt."

Brown eyes revealed themselves to her. Hannibal Lecter was caught between curiosity,

And fear.

She shut him off, burying her face into his. She felt his smooth, conscious breath on her skin and their bodies relaxed, succumbing to the realms of sleep.

Hannibal Lecter had taken a chance, delved into the unknown water.

Anna Astor would not let him drown.


	18. Chapter 18

My dad was admitted to the hospital today! Such a great week. I may become a hermit. I am overjoyed and blessed by all reviews, favorites, and follows. Thank you!

-M

* * *

_"Anna, promise me to look after Margaret. We love you, so, so much Annie. Promise me. Promise me that whatever you do, don't look back. _  
_Do not_  
_Look_  
_Back."_

* * *

Anna awoke with a start.

Girly laughter was whispering through the room and Anna tried to sit up. A heavy, warm body prevented her from doing so.

Hannibal Lecter slept, lightly breathing, head upon her chest. A strong arm was curled over her waist as Anna laid on her back, Hannibal on his side.

The blue eyes of Lilly Astor peaked through the cracked door, grinning. "Good morning, Auntie!" She whispered. Anna quickly hushed her with a wave.

"Lily! Don't wake him up. Go start on breakfast. I'll be there in a little while."  
Long blonde hair whipped the door as she bounded away. Anna couldn't help shaking her head, fingers falling to Hannibal. Carefully she smoothed long hair away from closed eyes. She expected a furrowed expression of nightmares but found none; only the peaceful, calm face of a dreamer. Duck lips were gently parted, though still he breathed through his nose. His jaw felt prickly under her skin.

A nimble, peach arm wrapped around the side of his face, fingers lost again in hair. Hannibal Lecter was nothing more than a sleeping boy, nestled against her.

A deep breath filled his lungs. Anna smiled, mouth filled with a coo; "_Han-i-bal_,"

The man remained still for a moment, unwilling to move. He felt so _warm_, her heartbeat gentle to his ears. The smell of her skin mingled with his. Fingers raked through his hair and again he relaxed, eyes closing.

"Hannibal, with the scratchy face after one night. You are a hairy little thing, hmm?" His body shivered with a snort and Anna sighed. "Lily is awake."

"Has she spotted us?"  
"Quite unfortunately. I fear she'll never leave you alone now."

Hannibal rose with a rare grin, hovering above her. Sleep on foreign sheets had puffed Anna's cheeks and lightly swollen her sensitive lips. He was gentle on placing his against hers, relishing her slow, blissful inhale.

Nails clawed his back and her body arched to meet his. A surprisingly strong arm fell upon his neck, deepening the kiss. Anna gripped his arms and impelled him away, flinging her pillow at the door. It closed with a satisfying _smack_.

Before Hannibal could comment fingers swiftly crawled around his neck, legs wrapping around his waist upon sitting upright. A mumbled moan warmed his throat as Anna's lips crushed his, nipping his bottom lip, tickling his teeth. Hands gripped her back and thrust, rocking her against him.

_Knock knock knock,_ "Anna?"_ knock knock knock_, "Anna!"

A loud, hissing noise of annoyance tunneled out of Anna Astor. Hannibal Lecter, with the strong facial bones and dark brown eyes, chuckled. She moved away only slightly.  
Hannibal's brows were raised, mouth parted as if in awe, glancing at the door. Without looking he leaned down, kissing her twice. On the third time Anna caught his attention, tilting her head and pressing back.

"_Anna Caterina Astor, if you do not answer me in the next __**three**__ seconds, I will shout out your first kiss __**and**__ secret hobby-_"

"**_I'm coming_**!" The woman, Anna _Caterina_ Astor, roared, nearly falling from Hannibal's lap. Warm hands steadied her as did the legs wrapped around his waist. The brunette sighed, resting her forehead on a wide shoulder. Hannibal didn't let go, kissing her temple.

"Your first kiss?" He mused.

Anna felt herself die a little.

"I don't want to talk about it."  
"That is funny, because I do."  
"Hannibal."  
"_An-na Cat-er-in-a_,"

The way his accent rolled her name. Anna looked up with a frown. He was trying so hard not to smile.

"I was twelve. This kid was getting picked on for being the runt of his class. They were probably only seven or eight. One day he was going on about his "older girlfriend." They all knew he was lying, and were tormenting him for it. So me, being the defiant girl I was, went over and made a scene. I cried and slapped him, and told him that he had broken my heart. Then I kissed him right on the mouth and stormed away."

"Little An-na, the protector," Hannibal teased. Red flushed her face. Anna began to wiggle, leaning back to get up.

A hand grazed her face, but it was Hannibal's expression that stopped her.

He swallowed, one eye blinking slower than the other. Carefully he tucked hair behind her ear, watching his fingers.

When he looked at her, Anna Astor was caught in an emotion she did not know.

"…I…Better get up. Lily will have no quarrels with breaking down the door," The woman admitted. A smile lightly outlined Hannibal's lips and Anna returned the gesture. Smoothing hands over his bare chest, dipping down, kissing his collar bone.

Hannibal watched the slender body slip from his grasp, sliding on sheets and hopping to the master bathroom. She stopped just short of the door with a cheeky smirk, flashing him from behind.

In a single night he had turned the cold, silent woman into a smiling, happy girl.

_But is it for the best?_

* * *

"Waffles?"  
"Waffles,"

Two females worked, side by side. Hair was parted deep to the left and braided around, messy in a bun near an ear. One brunette, one blonde.

"I didn't even know you owned pants," Abigail commented with a grin. A tall figure was coming down the hall, sitting beside the teenager, as Anna feigned surprise.

"Surely I've worn pants before in front of you, Abigail."

Abigail shook her head. The slender doctor was dressed in a white three-quarter sweater, with thin black lines cutting across horizontally. For the first time, Anna's legs were encased in fitted cropped slacks of the same poppy red as her lips. Anna shrugged. "One waffle, or two?"

"Should we make some for Dr. Bloom and Will?"  
"Most assuredly."

Anna fell to a stool, rubbing her forehead. Lily hopped into her lap, giggling at her aunt's disdain as she balanced their weight as one. Abigail's lips curled.

"How long have you lived with Anna, Lily?"  
The girl smiled, chipper. "Over half my life. She's a keeper."

Abigail didn't need to ask about Lily's father. The girl had shared all the night before, telling her she wasn't alone.

That sometimes, bad people did bad things, and there was nothing you could do to change it.

"All she needs is a man, and then we'll be one big happy family. You can be my sister!" The blonde finished, pinching Anna's cheek with a laugh. Anna's eyes rolled, careful not to land on Hannibal.

_Because, I've never thought of him like that. Me, Anna Astor, and Hannibal Lecter? Never.  
_

Brown eyes were watching her, attentive for any waver, any blush or sign. Anna Astor was just as good as he was, shaking her head with polite amusement. Her lips fell when she took notice of Abigail.

Orphaned, sad Abigail Hobbs, staring at the counter.

"Abigail?" The young girl rose her gaze. Anna's face was a hidden expression, brow furrowed.

"Abigail, if you don't wish to stay here, you will always find a home with us," Abigail was caught off guard, not nearly as quick to a reaction as the squealing, overjoyed Lily Astor.

"We would have so much fun! Cecelia is the absolute best to torture! It would be a fresh start for you!"

The two were off to Abigail's room once more, muttering about clothes. Anna rubbed her temples again. A slight downturn fixed Hannibal's lips.

"Are you all right?"  
"Fine, fine. Just a little headache, is all."

"Knock knock!" Dr. Bloom appeared from the front hall, a moody Will Graham following. Anna pushed her discomfort away.

"I've made breakfast!"

* * *

"_Shit_," Anna Astor muttered, spotting the tabloids already surrounded the yellow tape of the Hobbs' residence.

Another body had been discovered in the cabin, once the close friend of Abigail Hobbs.

Marissa.

"Lily, stay in the car."

"No! Please, let her come in with me," Abigail pleaded. Anna's lips pulled tight, looking to Hannibal. The slightest inclination of a nod answered. Dr. Astor grimly allowed it, swift out of the car, wrapping arms over both Abigail and her niece.

"Why did you come back? _Why did you do this to us_?"

That woman of before, Marissa's mother, was running towards them. Abigail began to break away but Anna was stronger, pulling her back.

"Hannibal!" Lily exclaimed. The psychoanalyst caught the sobbing woman who who collapsed into him. Anna tugged the two girls on, hastened by the flashing cameras and shouting crowd. How word got out so quickly, she couldn't fathom.

"_Abigail_,"

Blood ran cold at the sight of that familiar, quirked ginger hair.

_Her._

The sudden stillness of Anna's body caused Lily to pause, stomach twisted. Between unsettling fear and anxiety the niece looked to the woman.  
Skin pulled tight over her jaw, her cheek bones.

It was coming, again.

The Anna that wasn't her aunt,  
but the murderer.

"Anna," Lily whispered, pulling on her shirt. The feeling of soft fingers on Anna's face struck her out of the stupor, blinking quickly. A ghost mouth fell open as she tried to breath in calmly.

"You are on the wrong side of the tape, Lounds," Anna stated coolly. The woman had almost reached them when Dr. Bloom barricaded the girls, hurrying them on.

"I just want to get your story out, Abigail! I want to help!"

_"Lily, take Abigail inside."_

* * *

They were the perfect couple.

Words falling together, taking turns. So pleasant, and calm. Dr. Bloom wondered how the two hadn't already eloped.

_How curious_, she thought, watching the two cordially smile at the police.

_How curious that two people so intelligent and strange could come from such completely different worlds._

* * *

A narrow blonde skirted around the room, picking this, nixing that. Abigail sat, watching, hugging a pillow to her body.

"Abby, it will be okay. Okay? You'll come back with us, get cleared by the hospital, and live with Anna and me. Everything it going to be okay."

The girl sniffled into the pillow. A surge of annoyance ran through Lily Astor but her face played understanding, rubbing her arms.  
Blue eyes widened. Abigail pushed Lily away, finding a knife and cutting the pillow open.

_'Oh, now that's just a waste of good hair. Think how much a salon would have given for that._'

"Abigail, now is not the time to cry. Now is the time for action-_Abigail_!"

Black hair turned, finding the lanky boy from the forest. Lily stumbled to her feet just as her friend tried to run, body being caught by the boy.

Lily hardly caught the conversation before the boy's face held such remarkable shock. He staggering back with eyes downcast to his torso.

Abigail had stabbed him.

The three stood in silence. Abigail was ready to scream, to run and hide.

A pale hand fell over hers, pulled the knife out.

And stabbed him again.

Lily Astor's face was cold as the boy fell to his back, lifeless.

She turned to the dark-haired, wide eyed girl. Fingers squeezed Abigail's hand hard. She cried out in surprised pain, knife dropping.

"If you must defend yourself and kill, then you should at least feel _satisfied_."

* * *

"_Anna_!" The distress of her call was enough to make skin prickle.

Blue eyes caught sight of a bloodied hand on the stairs. Anna Astor rushed forward, silently, and slapped Alaina Bloom on the back of the neck.

She collapsed to the floor, out cold.

"You could have at least lowered her down," A deep voice growled behind her. Hannibal joined her, trailing down the stairs.

"Yes, but that was more work for me, and I just don't care enough. I, unlike you, did not mentor the little doctor for a year."

* * *

You're going to have to knock us out," Lily announced, quietly. Anna sighed.

"She's right. Are you ready?"

They were strewn throughout the house. Body disposed of, blood and evidence in place. They were on a fixed set of time before Will or the police would be back.

Lily clamped her eyes shut, gasping as something hard cracked against her head. Quickly the three moved to a different part of the house.

"I will knock Anna unconscious. It will then be up to to do the same to me, Abigail." Wild blue eyes were scared, they could both tell. Anna breathed in, looking up at Hannibal.

He smiled, just slightly, and kissed her.

The world turned black only seconds after.

* * *

"You really care for her, don't you,"

It wasn't a question. Brown eyes bore into the face of Abigail Hobbs, impassive.

"Don't you, as well?"

Hannibal Lecter had lowered Anna to the floor, so gently. Cradling her head in large hands, smoothing her hair back. Abigail felt a pang of jealousy, even in the horror of the moment. She looked down at the unconscious woman, nod slow.

"Yes."

"Then you know what you must do."

The broad-chested doctor revealed his back to her, waiting. Abigail steadied her breath.

She lifted the book end over one shoulder, and struck Dr. Lecter just as he instructed.

The man fell to the floor, face only inches from his lover's.

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/ 106467978663121227/


	19. Chapter 19

New episode tonight! It's the highlight of my day. I'm having a strange week, so my story is a little softer these few chapters. If that bothers you, I'm sorry. Sometimes the sun does shine, whether you want it to or not.

-M

* * *

_They were there, waiting for him._

_Standing in the tide, suspended on sand. She was older; they were taller. _  
_A woman with hair the color of his, a girl with the palest shade of yellow. Downy like a feather, whispering in the wind. _

_He moved, but could not run. The sun was a ripe tangerine on the horizon, casting their shadows like ghosts. Laughter fell through time, to his ears. At last he was close enough to touch his sister's dress, feel his mother's heartbeat._

_They turned, with cerulean eyes not of a Lithuanian._

_Before Hannibal Lecter stood not his mother and sister,_

_But Anna and Lily Astor._

* * *

He woke. She slept, cuddled in her own bed a room away, through a connecting door. It was late in the night and yet he couldn't find rest.

For the second night he crept into the woman's room. She slept on her side, body limp with the fatigue of trauma and death and one physical blow to the cranium. All had awoken and been examined, returning to the hotel rather than the home of Garret Jacob Hobbs.

He belittled her in size, swallowing her body. As a plant to sun she accepted him, twisting around the arm placed over her. A cheek rested in his hand, thumb grazing a long-lashed eye. Anna breathed in one deep breath, exhaling his name. "_Hannibal_,"

He was the shell and she his yolk, fitted together as if designed to be.

"I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand," He whispered into her ear, buried under the dark tendrils of hair, "-and the Eskimos a hundred words for snow. There are a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep,"

Anna Astor turned in Hannibal's arms. Blue eyes blinked so slowly above a smile, blissful. His face was soft but solemn.

"And there are no words for that."

She smoothed the planes of his face with small hands, lips finding Hannibal's with a tender sensation.

"Go to sleep, An-na," He murmured. Faintly she nodded, lolling to her original position.

"Hold me," She demanded, simply. Hannibal was only too willing, moving her body to once again curve with his.

For a second night Hannibal Lecter found peace.

* * *

"What's wrong with your mouth?"

Anna looked up. Will Graham stood, hands in pockets, watching fingers trace her lips. Hannibal had been gentle, but it didn't stop her skin from irritation. They were unused to the scratchiness of an unshaven morning.

She had never allowed a man to stay through the whole night.

"There must have been mango in the drink I had for breakfast," Anna answered. Graham nodded, collapsing next to her.

Dr. Lecter and Bloom were negotiating for a vehicle: one that could hold all six and be returned after the nineteen hour drive home.

Anna wasn't thrilled about the travel, but if Hannibal and Alana both agreed it to be in Abigail's best interest, so she would partake.

"They're really swollen." Will added, still staring at Anna. The woman swallowed a sigh. Instead she looked at the messy-haired man with innocence. "Does it make you want to kiss them?"

"That depends. Are you contagious?"  
Anna laughed. She watched the two doctors come to an agreement, heading towards them once more. Aqua eyes glanced at Will.

"My allergy is not. My insanity…perhaps."

"We're ready," Dr. Bloom appeared chipper. "A blue Mazda cx9, whatever that implies. Where are the girls?"

"Left them in the café."  
"Do you feel that is wise, Will? Abigail might be a target."  
"We're in a busy square of town. They should be all right."

"Let's just get this over with."  
"Who's driving first?"  
"We could draw straws."  
"I'm terrible with directions. I suffered a blow to the head. Will, you drive."

The agent objected, though the three doctors chose to ignore his grumbles. A sharp whistle flew from Anna's lips and two girls looked up. Lily Astor threw money on a small, ornate table, grabbing Abigail's wrist and dragging her out.

"We've decided to take the middle-row seats of whatever we drive in. Neither of us can drive, and the backseat is for people without physical boundaries. I suggest Hannibal and Aunt Anna sit there," Anna was amused at her niece's cheek.

"You have shared a bed with Abigail every day of our stay here,"

"And so have you."

Alana and Graham turned to the brunette, eyebrows raised. Hannibal wore his impassive expression; Lily Astor was just as sharp as Anna. The doctor-in-question scowled.

"Our legs our longer. We need the room."  
"So sprawl out on the seats. You'll live."

"I will drive, to resolve this dispute," Hannibal finally cut in. One set of keys already resided in his pocket, the other in Dr. Bloom's. A crooked grin crossed Will Graham's face.

As promised, he forked over ten dollars to the conniving blonde.

"I believe we were just played," Hannibal commented. His counterpart grimly nodded, shaking her head with the release of emotion. She grinned instead, linking her arm with his.

"At least William will get to cozy up to Alana, now."

* * *

This was the worst idea Abigail Hobbs had come up with to date.

"Are we there yet?"  
"If you ask that one more time, I'm going to slit your throat."  
"Such crude language, Agent Graham. I might have to report you."  
"I think they would understand."

It was not the teenage girls throwing the fit,

But Anna.

She was too hot, too cold. Too cramped, seat not straight enough. Hannibal was amused to say the least, watching the slender woman twist and turn. At one point the locked her window, just to rile her.

"Auntie Anna,"  
"Mmmm." Even Lily could not work her charm upon the moody Astor. She persisted nonetheless.

"Did you and mom play favorites with my grandparents?"

Anna began to still, face smoothing at the creases. Arms still crossed, she answered; "Yes."

"Tell me about it."

"Your grandparents were very old-fashioned, passionate Parisians. America loosened them a bit, with sports and television, etcetera. Papa was very fond of sports. I was too wiry and fragile for rough games. Maggie, though, was athletically inclined. Track, la Crosse, volleyball, softball. Anything she competed in, she won. Papa was very, very proud of her."

"And you?" Hannibal asked. Anna smiled to herself, glancing out the window.

"I was his little _actrice_, waltzing around the house in ma-ma's heels and pearls. We bonded over music. He taught me to play the piano and reform my dance. I was closer to our mother though, I suppose. She was the epitome of elegance. I dress, walk, and speak the way I do because of her. She was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. She could charm an angel into giving her their wings."

Anna turned, looked to the back of the car. Will and Alana sat close, gazing back. She ignored Bloom's look of pity. Lily was smiling a soft, sad smile. Anna persuaded a beam to draw her lips. "They would have adored you, Lily. You would have been the most spoiled child in all the world."

"At least I have you," Lily quietly answered. A knot formed in Anna's heart, sitting back properly. She swallowed, blocking out upcoming emotion.

"Yes. You will always have me."

"And Cecelia," Abigail added. A soft laugh answered from Lily. "Cecelia can't stand me most of the time."

"Maybe if you stopped referring to her as 'old hag' she wouldn't be so hard on you."

Silence met the comment. Hannibal chuckled, signaling a left turn. They had arrived at a rest stop, consisting of a gas station, two restaurants, and a park. Anna felt her mouth water at the site.

Hannibal Lecter had led her to a Cracker Barrel.

"You are pleased, yes?" The tall doctor inquired. His body was pulling every which way, long leg free of the cramped crawl-spaced driver's seat.

"Yes, but how did you know?"

Hannibal's eyes wrinkled, holding in laughter. It made Anna wary.

"When I tried to wake you this morning, you rolled onto your belly, buried your face in the pillows, and demanded fried green tomatoes. I looked to the internet for such a thing, and found it not to be French, but American. The most prominent home-style restaurant chain serving green tomatoes was this establishment."

"I don't know whether to be flattered, or embarrassed," Anna admitted. The barrier holding back a smile broke as an arm wrapped around her waist.

"A mixture of the two shall suffice. Come, show me this southern delicacy."


	20. Chapter 20

I forced a friend to watch all my recorded episodes of Hannibal tonight. We cooed over Mads and discussed his hair color. Normal young women, for you. I love all reviews, favorites, and followers. Hurrah! I don't know what else to say. I doubt anyone reads my drabble anyway. _Soy dueño de la familia Astor. _

_ www. burdastyle dot com /gallery/49  
_

-M

* * *

"Dr. Lecter's cooking is the best I've ever eaten. I'm mildly in awe of him eating anywhere but home,"

Four adults sat together, dining on "home style" meals. Will and Anna had no trouble eating the food, quick and hungrily. Hannibal was not surprised by their gusto. _They seem the type who grew up with the idea of eating anything and everything served to them._

"I think it's delicious," Will defended. Anna swiftly nodded, raising her hand. The two high-fived without raising their heads. Alana let out a sigh.

"You two are hopeless."

"Says the woman who will starve to death. Don't be upset when we outlive you," Anna muttered. Will shot a grin her way. He was enjoying the meatloaf and vegetables just fine. A poised doctor was shaking his head, leading his dining partner to frown.

"Here," Anna obliged, cutting a piece of tomato with her fork, "-just try it. You make me eat strange meals all the time. The least you could do is return the favor."

"I feed you _skanus_ delicacies. You are asking me to eat fried grease." Hannibal replied, causing Alana to laugh in agreement. Anna's fork lowered, staring at her plate with unreadable eyes.

Hannibal Lecter hated it, the effect she had on him.  
How even the slightest melancholy on her skin could compel him to act in any way, any measure, to bring her smile back.

Piano fingers wrapped over hers, picking up the fork. Anna tensed, surprised, before Hannibal rose the utensil to his lips.

He ate the tomato, grimaced. Anna didn't care.  
Her grin was enough to kill the horrid taste in his mouth.

"Well…It is not the worst I have ever eaten," Was all he could manage. Will scoffed. He could eat this shit all day, if someone would make it for him. The slender brunette laughed, touching the man's worn face, kissing his cheek. Hannibal watched her with warmth, though surprised at her open affections. Dr. Bloom smirked.

Dessert, served in single portions, was at least acceptable. The psychoanalyst had never been the best chef when it came to sweets. Always his concentration focused on the entrée, the precise cooking of meat and drowning in marinate.

Hannibal's thoughts dribbled away as fingers ran up his leg, walking over his thigh and spreading out. No acknowledgement crossed his face. Anna continued to eat, laughing at something Bloom told her. She was positioned to his left, seeing as her dominant hand was opposite his. Lily held the same left-handed quality. Both she and Abigail had feasted upon the quick service of the fast food restaurant across the street, now biding their time in the adjoining store of the adult's restaurant. Anna had given them both large sums of money, asking only to not find candy stuck to her suitcases.

"Were you serious about letting Abigail live with you?" Bloom asked. Will looked up, attentive. The case of Abigail Hobbs was one still plaguing his mind._ I feel responsible, even after all this._

Anna's fingers were drawing dangerously close to private property, petting his inner thigh. Still Hannibal did not move, the face of an attentive listener. His hand twitched, once, only to place his fork on a napkin.

"It wasn't a false promise. If she so chooses and Jack allows it, Abigail can take residence in my home. Cecelia would watch her like a hawk: better than anyone at a hospital could," Her hand finally dove up, fully grasping the crotch of his pants. Muscles tightened on either side of her fingers though her face kept the same seriousness. "Abigail could attend Lily's boarding school overseas. There she would be free of prejudice and fear of remaining a target."

"Crawford won't let Abigail out of his sight until he's sure she's not an accomplice," Hannibal countered. Anna nodded, fingers curling.

"I should check on them, I think. Hopefully they haven't spent every dime on stick candies that will end up in my hair, no doubt."

Anna Astor stood, patting her dress clean of nonexistent crumbs. She had exchanged travel clothes for a black, backless dress, tied with a bow over the blades of her shoulders. It fully covered her chest with a straight cut below her clavicles, fitted to the waist and lightly waving to her knees. Lily had fishtailed brunette hair in the car, falling over one shoulder. The woman was all poise and elegance, just as she had explained her mother, oblivious to the eyes following her form.

The intimidating, calculating doctor waited the precise amount of time before rising. "If you will excuse me, I must relieve myself."

* * *

The store was a collection of old-time knickknacks, from cazoos and harmonics to hard candies and wind-up trinkets. Keen eyes spotted a bobbing blonde and brunette outside the window, laughing, playing some sort of board game. Anna did not appear to be with them.

"May I help you, sir?" Hannibal glanced at a wide-eyed young woman, gaping up at him. Disgust rose when those hazel eyes batted, leaning over the counter with an obvious attempt at provocatively. Hannibal gave her a light smile.

"I'm looking for my wife. She was wearing a black dress. Have you seen her?"

The girl's face, _Angie_, the name plate explained, deflated. Lazily she gestured towards a corner of the store, slouching over a register, returning to filing her nails.

Little Anna Astor was touching soft fabrics, caught between two summery dresses. They were calling her name, begging to be bought. She didn't need them and she knew it, but eyes covet no matter what the conscious reprimands.

A gasp was forced back into her mouth as a hand caught her throat, forcing her into the wall. In an instant the surface fell away, tumbling into a room. The door shut without delay and a body crushed into hers with full force. Anna writhed, twisting any skin her fingers came in contact with. They were stopped at the wrist, held in one large, warm hand. Blue eyes shot up, mouth ready to scream, when she realized who her captor was.

"_Jesus_, _Hannibal_! Are you _trying_ to make my heart explode?"

"Perhaps one day, but not in a manner such as this."

Anna's head beat against the wall willingly, breathing through an open mouth. Hannibal was amused. The woman began to calm, taking in her immediate closet surroundings.

"Teasing me in public is unwise, Ms. Astor,"

"Unwise, maybe, but utterly worth it."

Combed hair tilted with his expression. Anna smiled, catching belt loops, pulling his waist to hers. An immaculate eyebrow rose as dark eyes enveloped her, lips painting a smirk.

"This is a dangerous game you play, An-na."

She looked surprised, caught. An innocent child suddenly realizing her fault.

"Well then, doctor, I must be punished."

* * *

"This is a really, _really_ stupid idea."

Will Graham nodded his agreement, blandly watching Hannibal Lecter and Alana Bloom slip of a suit coat and heels. Anna sat barefoot by Will, rubbing her chin. Her lips were red, lightly swollen once again. Will couldn't help but observe the same with Dr. Lecter.

_They're worse than teenagers._

"Oh, it'll be fun! Abigail and Lily played; why shouldn't we?"

"Because we don't have shoes, I'm in a dress, Will and I aren't coordinated with balls and nets, and I could be taking a bath."

"You can do that later, An-na. Exercise would do you some good after being cooped up in the car."

Will and Anna exchanged a glance. Finally curled hair ruffled with a shrug, rising to his feet and offering his "partner" a hand.

Dr. Lecter and Bloom already stood on the other side of the court, tennis ball in hand.

"We can do this, we can do this." Anna promised Will, who scoffed. The racket felt heavy and lifeless in her hand. The whole "e_xtension of your arm_" thing never really worked for her. She was not performing, telling a story.

She was trying to beat someone at a useless game that gained her no emotional release.

The first ball sent their way was returned, narrowly hit by Bloom. Will shot it back. The game continued that way for a while, Anna's attention more focused on Hannibal.

The way he moved, with such skill and grace. He was a predator taking the kill. Her father always said, '_A good dancer makes it look effortless, like breathing.'_

Anna wondered if the same thought applied to Hannibal Lecter.

If murdering innocent people was just as breathing to him.

"**_Anna_**!"

Blue eyes quick, instinct filling her blood.

A cry escaped the lips of Dr. Bloom as Anna Astor cratered the ball back, over the net and into her face.

"_Christ_, Anna!" Graham shouted, racket falling from his hand. She had never seen him move quite as quick as he did, racing to Alana's side and lifting her up. Anna blinked.

It had happened, again.

An arcane moment of time, lost to her memory. She would have no recollection of her actions until the moment they were over. All was lost to it.

To instinct.

Dark eyes were locked on her every moment, every gesture as her mouth fell open, looking to the injured woman with wide eyes.

"Alana, I'm…I'm sorry," Anna's voice was strange and caught, rooted to the ground. "I don't know what came over me."

"No, don't be...sorry. You were just playing the game. It's my fault for underestimating you. Beginner's luck, right?"

Anna wavered, face slowly loosing uneasiness and feigning sincerity. It was enough for Bloom and Will to believe. She hoped it would fool Hannibal as well.

She wasn't that lucky.

"I think that's enough athleticism for one day. Come, how about a stroll through the park?"

"You two go on, I think I'd like to just sit here for a while. Enjoy the sunset. Please don't feel bad, Anna. It just scared me more than anything."

Anna warily observed the arm offered to her. Hannibal was neither smiling nor frowning. Upon taking his offer a light curve of his lips did crack, tugging her on.

He pointedly stared at her shoeless feet. Anna ignored him, breezing on.

"Your feet will blister."

"I have you to carry me."

Hannibal chuckled. His other hand buried deep in its pocket, face cast to the sidewalk.

"I would remind you to always take care of your self and body, but it appears you can already attest to that,"

The brunette provided no answer. Hannibal looked to her, waiting. Startling irises met his instead with a tired smile. "Are you ever just Hannibal, and not a psychoanalyst?

"On occasion," His answer was quick, simple. Anna lightened. "If you can efficiently explain what just occurred, I will show you."

"You'll show me '_Just Hannibal_?'"

"I will"

Anna sucked in a breath, pensive.

_How do you explain losing control. How do you explain the rage that burns you like fire, eats away with such force that you can't even remember your actions?_

"…When my parents died, my sister and I were left alone. We had no other relatives. It became my duty to take care of her. I learned to adapt and overcome obstacles most people don't deal with until decades later. After Margaret was murdered as well, something just…Snapped," It was a confused explanation, but the best Anna could compile. The two had nearly circled the park, close again to the hotel. Anna stopped.

The look she cast him was so emotional, genuine. It had a touch of its own, crawling up his spine, between his lungs.

"It takes ten times as long to put yourself back together than it does to fall apart."

A nightingale tore from a nearby tree, crying out for attention. Anna smiled, watching its flight.

Hannibal could see only Anna.

"What happened to your parents, An-na?" The woman swayed with a coy smile.

"That wasn't part of the bargain. I illustrated my actions as best I could. It is your turn, Dr. Lecter."

"Hannibal," He murmured. Anna blinked, both of surprise and confusion. He explained; "I'm not fond of you addressing me so formally."

"Coming from the man who speaks with such eloquence." She had led him by the hand to the grand entrance of the hotel. Standing two stairs taller, they were almost eye to eye. "But if that's what you want, you will be only Hannibal to me."

"Just Hannibal," He corrected, teasing. Anna laughed and his fingers tightened over hers.

"Speaking of which, where is proof of _'Just' Hannibal_?"

"On your bed, upstairs."

Anna gave the tall, broad doctor a look of amused curiosity, one he only smiled back to. Her hand rose as he brought it to himself.

He trailed her wrist, letting her hand fall open. Hannibal's head bent, fingers curving to his cheek, eyes closed, to gently kiss the palm of her hand.

The heart pounding in her ears made sure she was alive. Hannibal Lecter looked at her once more, smirky-mouth curved deliciously.

"Good-night, An-na."

She let him pass, waited. Finally she turned, choosing stairs over the escalator.

Alana and Will were still out. There was no other being in her room as she switched the light on.

A dress of turquoise, hand-painted with vibrant flowers, rested upon the bed as if alive.

Anna slowly moved forward, in awe. Fingers ran across the silky material to the lined, sweetheart top, resting against the pillows. A sliver of paper ran into her fingers.

Anna pulled the gold-leafed card from the dress. A wonderfully crooked, beautiful smile kissed her lips.

_It is the one your eyes lingered on longest. It was in the very way I look at you._

_-Hannibal_


	21. Chapter 21

I split this in two, so perhaps I'll update twice today. This one is obviously vastly shorter. I love, love, love, love all reviews, favorites, and followers! I own Astors. Not Hannibals.

-M

* * *

They were back.

The nightmares.

Will Graham woke in a cold sweat, gasping. His surroundings, his conscious, came tunneling through his brain, causing eyes to close off the world. Rubbing his face, reaching for glasses. Hannibal slept on the fold-out couch, still as a corpse.

_"Will, please. Take the bed. Sleep does not come as easily for you. Any small attempts I can make to further aid you will surely be called upon."_

Even with the advantage of sheets and a mattress, the agent couldn't find rest. He fell back to the pillows, attempting sleep once more.

The light, quick feet of someone racing outside his door drove his mind into hysteria once again.

Will sneaked a look out of the room. The door opposite hung open just centimeters.

It was the room of Anna and Alana.

_On one instance they could be in trouble. On the other, it could be nothing, and Anna might kill me by accident._

It was worth the risk. Careful steps led him to and past the door. Their couch was still in a folded position, though the bed only held one body of life: Alana.

_"It's my fault, it's all my fault-"_

_"Shh, sh, sh. You know that isn't true. It was just a nightmare-"_

_"I could have stopped him. If I had just-"_

_"The what-if's and should-have's will consume you, Lily. You must let go,"_

They were on the small porch balcony, in a single, white, lawn chair. Dark hair covered a woman's back. Long, pale legs were hanging from one side of her body, a face buried in the hollow of her neck. Bird limbs wrapped like vines around the woman. Every few moments a breeze revealed a shoulder, and the golden head of the girl in her arms.

The soft, mewing cries of Lily Astor whispered through the room as she cried into Anna's skin. Graham could just make out the woman combing downy hair with slender fingers, soothing her.

A hand touched Will's forearm, ripping his senses. Eyes found those similar to his own, on a tan, worn face.

_"What are you doing?"_ Hannibal Lecter asked of him. Will answered with a finger to his own lips, turning again to the patio doors.

_"Out of everyone in the world, why him. Why my father?"_  
_"If she had chosen any other man, you would not be the child in my arms right now."_

_"How could she love someone so demented and broken? Someone so cruel and cared for her so little, he could take her away from the world?"_

Anna's head fell back, allowing the first real view of herself. She was moonstone in the starlight, face a weary canvas. A blonde head rose, looking to her. Trails of tears ran over dams, dripping like dew from her jaw.

_"Her heart sank into her shoes as she realized at last how much she wanted him. No matter what his past was, no matter what he had done. Which was not to say that she would ever let him know, but only that he moved her chemically more than anyone she had ever met, that all other men seemed pale beside him."_

Lily sniffled, rubbed her eyes. The two men could just make out the curve of Anna's lips, smiling softly at her niece.

_"Fitzgerald wrote that."_

_"Very good, Lily."_

_"But are you speaking of my mother, or of yourself?"_

Hannibal Lecter stood tense, alert. Will chose not to look, feeling the change in the air. With a sigh, Anna crushed Lily's words with an embrace. Blue eyes were closed, peaceful on the girl's face, hugging her aunt back.

_"I love you."_

Anna murmured back into her ear, words lost to the two men. Will chose to glance at Hannibal then,

Only to find him already gone.


	22. Chapter 22

"Has anyone seen the Astors?"

Two men looked up from a continental breakfast; one that felt soggy as soon as it left the covered grills. Will looked to Hannibal, shaking their heads. Alana and Abigail both sighed.

"When did you last see them?"  
"Last night, before bed."  
"Hmm."

"Have you tried calling them?"

"Yes. Neither answered."

Hannibal had been watching a finicky waiter for some time now. Every time Alana or Abigail mentioned their friends, eyes would dart up. Look at them, look away, pass out orange juice. On the third time Hannibal ushered to him.

"You seem very interested in our conversation, sir. Tell me, do you know something we do not?"

The man fidgeted. He couldn't be any older than twenty-five, with a portly face and thick limbs. "I believe, sir, that the two ladies you're talking about are in the auditorium."

"Auditorium?"

The man nodded. "There's a high school not too far from here, up Route 30 a ways. They practice here."

The quartet thanked the man, hurrying their lackluster breakfast. Directions were simple and led to three broad entrances, where soft music could be heard drifting through the air. Alana glanced between the men and Abigail, sharing a collective nod. Two to an entrance, they peaked in.

Two dancers flowed, side by side, upon a lit stage.

Every grand pirouette, every rise and fall, turn and leap, was perfect. Their faces held the same emotions at just the right time. At first glance Anna had always been quite slender, but compared to the wiry form of Lily, her femininity was obvious. The curve of her hips, her thighs, were more well-rounded; the shape of an hour glass.

"Watch your feet! Don't sickle!" Anna snapped. Lily flew into the air, correcting every move. With poise she landed before Anna, face calm. They moved as one until the woman lifted her up with both arms, above her head. Legs erect, feet pointed, Lily grazed Anna's face lovingly, just as the song ended.

"You must stay as still as possible. If you even breath wrong, he will drop you."

"Oh, that's a load of-"

Anna Astor abruptly dropped her niece, catching her head just before it cracked. Laughing, she skipped away from the shrieking blonde.

"I told you,"

"_Insolence_! This is why I will dance with a boy, and not a snobby woman like you!"

"Good. Perhaps he'll grow tired of your mouth and drop you on your head."

Lily glared at Anna's grin. Both were dressed in black leggings and matching tank tops, hair knotted up. Anna dug out the tie, letting long, wrinkled hair fall in waves.

"How rude, an audience that doesn't even clap!"  
Lily looked out, surprised at her aunt's words. It was indeed true: four sets of eyes were watching them. She grinned, waving before flying off the stage.

"Abigail! You should have come out earlier. I could've taught you some moves!"

"I don't have any rhythm," Came the shy answer. Abigail's eyes were caught on Anna, now dancing alone. Hannibal was transfixed as well, much to Lily's pleasure.

"She doesn't dance with a partner anymore. She doesn't trust anyone enough to lift her."

"Did something happen?" Dr. Lecter asked, without looking away. Anna was off in her own world, swimming through the air like a swan.

"When she was nineteen, the star male in ballet dropped her. It shattered her right ankle and broke her wrist. Aunt Anna never danced professionally after that."

"She danced professionally?" Lily solemnly nodded.

"Aunt Anna was the _prima ballerina_ of her troupe. She is so charismatic. Everyone couldn't help but love her. Then one day she was hurt, and replaced. Instead of trying to win her spot back after recovering, Anna just gave up dance. Mom told me once that she would disappear for months at a time, always showing up and acting like she'd never even left. She went to medical school and was licensed in half the time it usually takes. Every test she took was scored with a perfect. Wherever she went, someone was helping her."

A thump caught their attention. Anna had leapt from the stage, sauntering over. She sniffed.

"Are we ready for another long car ride? I would prefer to get this moving."

* * *

"I will be there when I can. Tell them to just move the surgery back. Keep him sedated." Anna ordered, cross-legged in the back of the Mazda. It was Dr. Bloom's turn to drive, Will uneasily seated in the passenger seat. Abigail and Lily were quietly watching Netflix on borrowed tablets. Hannibal Lecter and Anna Astor sat side by side, cramped in the small rear of the car. The woman's mouth was a thin line, fingers fiddling with one of Hannibal's cuff links.

"I _understand_. But nothing can be done. It shouldn't rupture. It can wait a few more days. And if they're that worried, let Dr. Worthington lead the surgery. He's just as competent."

_"I will do what I can. They are not as amiable to me as they are to you."_

Anna grunted, close to a laugh. "That's because they're afraid of me."

_"Oh, and Anna?"_ Cecelia paused and the doctor waited, interested in the tone her housekeeper was using.

_"Consider it taken care of."_

Fingers tapped the phone, screen turning black. She let it fall to the ground, near her purse, and rubbed her face

"Work?" Hannibal questioned. Anna nodded.

"A five year old has appendicitis. His parents are heavy donators to the hospital, and demand me to take care of it. The same parents who drove him to the ER for chapped lips."

"So you can do surgery?" Will asked.

"Yes."

Silence resounded the car. Anna began work on medical histories, reviewing patients. A piece slipped her notice until it floated into her lap.

_'Was the man you went to see after your dancing injuries the same who taught you how to kill?'_

Anna's stomach rocked. She stole a glance at the head of the car. Will had finally closed his eyes as the girls had, while Alana drove on. Furtively Anna wrote back,

_'What's it to you?'_

Hannibal simply looked at her. Anna held his gaze before averting to the white blank page. She sat still for an extended moment. With one short sentence, Anna banished the paper from her lap.

_'It was not the first time I had met Him.'_

"Thank you for the dress," She murmured, as a change of pace. Hannibal's lips flexed as Anna closed up her work, turning to him. "I really enjoy '_Just Hannibal_.'"

"He only comes out for you," Hannibal found himself answering. Her closed-lip grin was beautiful, snuggling up against his shoulder.

"Wake me up when we stop. Maybe you can talk Dr. Bloom into stopping in a city so we can enjoy _skanus_ delicacies."

"Ah, your accent is improving, An-na." He felt her lips curl against his shirt.

"You should hear my teacher's."

* * *

Their West Virginian hotel teemed with elegance. Leisurely they were readied for supper, taking their own paths. Hannibal had so chivalrously asked Anna to dinner, causing her heart to pound with his classic smirk-mouth smile. Will awkwardly followed suit, painfully suggesting the same to Alana Bloom.

Astor felt a little under-par in the summertime dress of cerulean, painted with vibrant flowers. Her hair fell in long beach waves, framing her face.

Anna caught sight of the suited, handsome Hannibal Lecter and her steps faltered. The dress was too casual, inappropriate. She quickly pivoted, heading to the stairs, when a hand caught her wrist.

Hannibal's face was lit with a boyish smile, savoring her appearance.

"An-na," He spoke, "_An-na_, you look _beautiful_."

He watched the hummingbird swallow, blue eyes wide. Pale pink was just apparent under her skin. A heart thudded in his chest at the very sight of her, in the dress _he_ had chosen.

"I…You look so much more formal. Please, just let me change-"

"No, sweet An-na. You look _didus_. _Grazus_."

The sudden dip of her face, her fidget. It made Hannibal only chuckle, offering her an arm.

"Come, I've made reservations."

* * *

Anna Astor was not the same woman alone as she was in a crowd of people.

Smiles sweet, conversation turning from light to deep at the drop of a hat. She shared his cynicism and judgments, his tastes in music and cultures. Psychology was a mutual topic, and for once Hannibal did not feel the need the shelter his ideas and opinions.

"Why do you feel that I would not understand your feelings for me?"  
Anna looked up, surprised. Hannibal gazed back, solemn, furrowed. "Do you not think I care for you?"

"I…" The woman trailed off, closing her mouth. Around her couples enjoyed simple conversations and dined. With the same mortal problems as everyone else, with fights and love and strife and peace all nestled in their futures. They might live complicated lives, but not as complicated as the sole man in front of her.

"I just don't see how you could," Anna answered quietly. Hannibal was an attentive creature, head turning at the very sound of her voice. Anna sighed. Long lashes met their inferior row.

"We…We're not normal people. We're not like the couples even in this restaurant. You forget that I've studied psychoanalysis and behavior experiments as well. You may care for me as a colleague, or even a challenge. But you can't say you care for me as a woman, Hannibal."

They sat, silent. Anna stared at her half-eaten entrée. It was delicious and overpriced. She had tried to savor every taste, for she knew once she finished, her stomach would still wail with hunger. Unable to not do so any longer, Anna rose azure eyes.

Hannibal Lecter was lightly smiling into the distance, out the window. Her heart really did sink into the soles of her feet.

"You have caught me, Miss Astor."

Anna let in a breath, almost relieved. Relieved, and shattered._ Why do you do this to yourself?_

A familiar suit of titanium molded her skin, mind, heart. Her smile was a feline purr, carefully folding her napkin onto the porcelain plate.

"Dinner was lovely, Hannibal. Thank you,"  
Still he did not look at her. The rejection bit her skin but she brushed it away, slipping between tables and couples.

Anna Astor made it halfway to the hotel before she wavered. Staring at the night, darkened stars lost by the city lights.

How easily he released her.

How he didn't even try to stop her.

_ "No. No, I won't let go. I won't. Not this time, Hannibal."_

Her own words struck her mind like lightning. A staggering step led her to a stop, recalculating.

While she had been orphaned, she had always had Margaret to care for. To be there, hold her hand, wipe her tears as she did the same for her.

Hannibal Lecter had possessed no one to do the same for him.

Bright eyes widened with a sharp inhale. Anna turned with full determination. _I made a vow to myself, to him. I will not abandon him._

Three steps forward, and one step back as a sharp, sudden pain hit her shoulder. Anna Astor turned.

A man, holding a knife slick with her blood, smashed her in the face.

Anna Astor fell, out cold.

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/ 268245721527254837/


	23. Chapter 23

Hello! I'm so late. I've had a busy day! Nursery duty with seven children under six, work which consists of taking care of the elderly, and then all the new Star Trek commercials I watched today. Two of my residents passed away this weekend. My head feels like it weighs fifty pounds. Also, I seem to have a very special reader. A little birdy, perhaps. I'm annoyed but trying to let it go. I would like to thank everyone for their reviews! I've had some very enlightening ones lately. I enjoy **_constructive _**criticism. I'm very vain, so peppering it with compliments helps me keep a cool head. At least I'm brave enough to admit that, yes?

-M

* * *

It had been three days since the disappearance of Anna Caterina Astor.

Last spotted leaving the Charleston _Chop House_, alone, around eight thirty-five P.M. No one had taken especial notice until the next morning after ten, realizing that even Lily had no idea of her whereabouts.

The last person with her being none other than Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Jack Crawford rubbed his forehead, hunched in a chair. Agents stood on either side while two men, two teenagers, and one woman sat before him.

"She left no note, or message as to where she was going?"  
"No. She wouldn't do this-"  
"Were you fighting, Dr. Lecter? Was she upset?"

All eyes turned to the stoic doctor, watching the impassive shake of his head.

"We were having a simple conversation. She thanked me for dinner, and left."

"…Without you."

Hannibal stared at Crawford, revealing nothing. "Correct. Without me."

"We've obviously tried calling her, but her phone appears to be off."

Will Graham racked his hair, distressed. Abigail was on the verge of tears once again and Dr. Bloom wrapped a comforting arm around her.

The only two who didn't seem torn up were Dr. Lecter and Lily Astor. Both sat stark still, alert. Jack rose with a sigh.

"We'll send out a search party. Keep your phones on."

Graham stood up. Bloom and Abigail followed suit as they trailed to the door, ready to search once more.

Lily and Hannibal still sat, staring into space.

"We'll find her." Alana assured with a smile. The blank look Lily cast her was enough to silence the optimistic words.

When they left, the freckled, immaculate blonde finally turned to the doctor. Mouth expressionless, eyes frozen.

"If she dies, if you did something to her, I will tell them _everything_. I will reveal you as the copycat killer, and you will never see sunlight _again_."

"Such bold words, for a child," Hannibal answered, brazen enough to sound amused. Lily's lips curled into a grimace, standing so abruptly her chair toppled over.

"She is just as stupid as my mother. _Worse_, she is _worse_. _You_ are the reason she's missing. _You_ are the one who swallowed her heart and cast it to the beasts. I _hate_ you, Hannibal Lecter. You are not worth Anna's slightest attention, and now you've sentenced her to an unknown death." Lily stood tall, looking down. Pale face, sharp eyes, cold and loathing. Her face suddenly softened to amusement with the tilt of her blonde head.

"You have lost the one person who would ever care for you as much as your miserable dead family did."

Lily Astor did not slam the door on her way out. She knew her words were tangible enough.

Hannibal Lecter hadn't moved for hours. Sitting in the stiff chair, mind lost.

It had been for the best, letting her leave. Sparing her of him.  
He wasn't a gift. He was a disease that would plague and envelop her.  
Her, Anna, the beacon of tainted light.

And through his mercy she had been abducted.

* * *

The agony coursing through her was worst than anything she had ever felt.

Anna's breath was soft, barely audible. Limbs felt like driftwood, mind a pulsing, trembling tower ready to crumble.

It was nothing compared to the searing pain between her thighs.

"_Shit, she's waking up,_" Someone grunted. "_Go get the boss." _

Anna Astor fought to open eyes, chest heaving. _What…Where am I? What's happened?_

"Hello, Dr. Astor. I hope my friends haven't treated you too harshly."

Anna fought no longer to sit up as someone yanked her by the hair. A tall, slender man was smiling at her. His eyes were the color of her own, with a sharp nose, thin lips, and blonde, curly hair.

Abirad Caldwell, a husband of one of her once-patients, stood before her.

"Do you remember me, Dr. Astor?"

"…I-" Words slammed from her mouth as a pain choked her stomach. Caldwell clicked his tongue.

"You've been stabbed and penetrated, Anna. Through the abdomen, near your reproductive system. Hurts, doesn't it? Much like the pain my wife probably endured."

"Mr. Caldwell," She panted, looking up with wide eyes, "I couldn't save her. There was nothing I could have done differentl-" Two long, cold fingers dug into the opening in her skin, letting loose a tirade of thick blood. It curdled with her scream.

"Easy, gentlemen, easy. She can't die yet. We haven't finished our little heart-to-heart." With the nudge of his long face the men dispersed, leaving them. Anna tried to drag herself back, resting against the grimy headboard. Pain was searing through her like fire. A shaking hand pressed to the wound above her pelvis as she tried to stopper the blood. Piercing eyes were suddenly before hers, face a death sentence.

"I lost not only my wife but my child, that day. That day when you allowed her to hemorrhage and die. I've bided my time. I've built an estate. I own over half of the hospital you now hide in. If I decide to kill you, here and now, no one will question me. No one will know our connection. You changed your field from birthing children to taking care of them, from one state to another. Did you _really_ think I wouldn't find you?"

"I wasn't running…From you," Anna managed, gulping air. The room she was in was dimly lit, dirty. She couldn't hear noises of traffic or civilization: just the whirr of cicadas.

Caldwell grabbed her face and clenched. Anna didn't give him the satisfaction of a cry, but he smirked nonetheless.

A slender hand rose. In it, her cell phone.

"I'm not as much a monster as you, Dr. Astor. So I'm giving you the chance to say good-bye. Good-bye to the person you love most in this world, before I let those men skin you alive and mount your bones to my walls,"

He dropped the phone carelessly on the bed. Rising, leaning against the wall with a hard stare.

_Is he really…That stupid?_

* * *

Will Graham paced the room.  
Back, forth, repeat. Back, forth, repeat.  
Alana felt slightly nauseous just watching him.

"Will, why don't you sit down?"

"Anna's been taken, and you want me to _sit and play tea party?_"

Dr. Bloom silenced herself, staring at the table. The tea had been brought to calm them. Instead it caused Dr. Lecter to flee the room and Will to dig tracks through the floor.

_"Pacing isn't going to help any more than calming down would…"_

Hannibal wasn't listening. Quietly he persisted in tapping his head against a glass window, eyes closed.

If he had only looked upon her, spoke the words on the brink of his lips, Anna Astor might be with him now.  
Curled in his bed, smiling in her sleep. Leaving silvery streaks of saliva from her lips to the sheets. It was a rather unappealing habit, but it hadn't bothered him. To Hannibal, it had been endearing. _To be so unguarded, no façade, no act. Anna had been only Anna, and I let her walk away._

The sudden alert of his phone shook Hannibal Lecter out of his senses.

_"…Hannibal?"_

Her voice, so childlike on the phone, was the most beautiful and relieving sound the man had heard in his life.

_"An-na! An-na, where are you? What has happened?"_

_"I…Is Lily all right?"_

_"She is fine. Where are you?"_

Words paused. Her breath, even through the phone, sounded haggard: painful. It clenched Hannibal's chest until he himself couldn't breathe.

_"Promise me you'll look out for her. Tell her that I love her so much, Hannibal. Please-"_

_"Do not speak like that, Anna. You are not going anywhere; you can tell her yourself,"_

_"My e-mail is my full name. My password is 'Still I Rise.' Capitalize each word. All of my information can be found in it. I have only ever checked from my phone, but I'm sure your tablet or whatever source will work just as well. It's how you'll get Lily's education information and exact school location,"_

Her words made no sense, at first.  
Realization struck a second later as Hannibal sprinted for his tablet, flipping it open and searching through the many offered applications.

_"An-na, don't worry. I will find you."_

Her breathing filled his ears. With one deep inhale, Anna Astor whispered back her answer. _"I hope so."_

Of all the words Hannibal Lecter could say, of questions and vows and promises, only one Fitzgerald quote graced his mind.

_"They slipped briskly into an intimacy from which they never recovered."_

Her answer died with the phone. It no longer mattered what happened to Anna Astor cellular device.

An iPhone application had already located her.

Not thirty-seven miles away.


	24. Chapter 24

Is this my longest to date? Yes? Alas. I might have to change the rating soon. I hope that doesn't offend anyone. I am blissful over all reviews, favorites, and wonderful followers. Today was a beautiful day, and this is a good way to end it for me! Big thanks to Sylleth for her Lithuanian expertise!

-M

* * *

"Where are you going?"

"To look for An-na."

"It's late, Hannibal, and we've looked all day. Maybe you should call it a night,"

A tall, broad-shouldered doctor paused, hand encasing the doorknob. His hair, always so precisely combed, was at a slight disarray. Without turning, his voice answered; "I am sorry, but I cannot do so. I bid you all good-night,"

He had expected Will to try and follow. To his surprise, the curly-haired agent remained silent.

All the better.  
Hannibal Lecter could have his way even more easily without witnesses.

He rode a rented vehicle through the city, to the brink of a forest landscape. Parking the car in a canopy of trees, slipping into the night.

Anna's phone left a fingerprint of herself: her exact location. Whoever her captor, he was clearly an amateur.

A long finger shut off the cell phone as light emanated the forest.

He had found the cabin.

* * *

No one stood guard, the door unlocked. The first man he encountered fell dead within seconds, neck broken by strong hands. Several rooms passed by, empty. By the time a second man noticed him, Hannibal had him halfway to hell.

_"Please-please don't. I was just following orders-I'm sorry!-"_

A shattering scream painted the air before silence.  
The _thud_ following was too heavy, too deep to be Anna. Still the doctor hurried, from door to door until the last, final entrance.

Hannibal pushed the door open, tense, alert.

Anna Astor sat on the hard floor, splattered in blood.

Her hair was matted; dark, wet streaks clumping every few tendrils. It was as if someone had burst balloons of red dye onto her dress, her face, her hands. The room showed signs of a brutal massacre. Two adult men stared at the ceiling with glass eyes, chest's open to expose organs, drowning in their own fluids.

"I've ruined your dress. I'm sorry," Anna spoke, simply. Hannibal at last took a breath, one he hadn't been aware of holding. She was staring at the body before her, blank. A wave of relief set loose in Hannibal.  
It was not her blood on the walls, but the men. A thick knife had landed carelessly beside her in a red pool.

"Where is the man responsible for this, An-na?" The doctor asked, attempting professional, emotionless. It was all he could do not to snap, to tear even the already-deceased men to ribbons. Tired blue eyes rose to him, mouth slack.

"He departed after the phone call. I left one alive, in case you did make it in time,"

"I'm afraid there is no time. You require medical attention. That man's death will be slow and painful: it will take much longer than the allotted time you have." Anna hardly batted an eye. "An-na, we must hide him."

"I don't think I can stand on my own," Came her soft answer. It was then Hannibal noticed the bloodied hand holding her side, coagulated blood forming between the skin. "He's in the next room. There's a cellar, with a lock. I doubt Caldwell will come back here."

"Anna, did he sexually assault you?"

It was the first emotional response Hannibal triggered in her. Brows knitted together, mouth falling open. Her teeth clenched before lips pulled tight, swallowing.

Her small gestures were enough to send him into a chaotic, murderous rage.

The sharp-faced doctor was back from the deed in moments, shredding his vest to perfect ribbons. Carefully he tied them around her abdomen, fingers trembling. She was so bloody and tired. _So frail_. Bruises blossomed under her skin like ripe grapes. Anna coughed, inhaling sharply, as Hannibal deftly cradled her into his arms.

"I don't want…to go to the hospital," She breathed against his chest. Hannibal looked down, keeping as stern a face as possible. "Anna, you must."

Vigorously her head shook, eyes clamped tight. Her rocky breathing began to sound more like hiccups. Pain still etched her face.

"Hannibal, you can take care of me. I know you c-can. Don't make me go to the hospital," Fingers grasped his white shirt, leaving stains of blood. Blue eyes pleaded with him, catching his breath and mind, "P-Please, Hannibal. Please don't leave me,"

"We will see, Anna," Was all he could answer with. It seemed enough as Anna leaned in the passenger seat, eyes closing.

"You must stay awake, An-"

"I'm alright. Just resting. How…Is Lily okay?"

"She threatened to turn me in as the copycat killer, if you were not found."  
Anna's chuckle came as a haggard breath. Every few seconds brown eyes would dart to her, scrutinizing. Her chest rose at a slower pace now, calmer. Ripened lips were pressed tightly shut as her eyes still were, breathing through her nose.

"If Lily really believed you were behind my disappearance, she would have turned you in the moment I was found missing."

"Maybe it was a push, then."  
Anna hummed a response, fighting to open her eyes once more. Her head was pounding. The pain in her torso had dulled slightly, and she discovered the new-found ability to move more freely. Nausea was on the verge of her throat and she glanced to the driver's side.

Hannibal Lecter, knuckles clenched white on the steering wheel, was going over one-hundred miles an hour.

"Hann-nibal. Slow…down," Anna ordered, blinking hard. So long as he drove straight, her stomach did not bite back. Every curve, stop, and turn, however, sent waves through her body. Hannibal's face was pulled as tight as his fingers over hard bones, eyes slits. His arms seem to quiver as his chest did, will rage or worry Anna didn't know.

"I found you bloody and abandoned in the terrain surrounding _Spring Hill Cemetery_. You were alone and unconscious. Being too rattled to be left alone, you refused the medical treatment of a hospital. I will take you to the hotel, clean you up, and you will remain in my room. I will alert Crawford and the others of your whereabouts in the morning. Do you understand, An-na?"

"Where was I really?" Anna asked. She peaked out the window only for a moment, finding the black whir of night and trees too much for her stomach. Instead she turned to Hannibal's frowning face.

"I feel it is best to keep that knowledge unknown to everyone but myself."

"How will you get me in the hotel without notice?"

"There is a hotel right across the street from our previous one. I will rent a room there."

Anna took a deep breath, nodded. A hand caught hers with a gentle force and blue eyes opened once again.

The childlike fear of Hannibal Lecter looked back.

Genuine worry, sadness. They was so foreign to the doctors stream-lined face.

Hannibal didn't need to say a word. She understood easier without them. His warm fingers enveloped hers until the city came into view.

* * *

The air was crisp as Hannibal traveled between the two hotels, taking necessities from one building to the next. He returned to the car, finding little Anna Astor still half-conscious.

"Here, wrap this around yourself." The accented voice softly instructed. Anna arched forward, accepting the heavy suit coat. A large hat covered her matted hair, stolen from a luggage cart.

"Can you stand?"

"If you help, I think so," Fingers were careful around her, holding unbalanced weight as Anna rose from the car. Her steps were slow, hobbling. The skinny arm wrapped over his waist couldn't even reach around him fully.

No suspicion was raised as the couple made it to an elevator, head ducked until the doors closed.

Their floor met them barren and empty. Hannibal wasted no time scooping the fragile woman up as before, stalking down the hallway.

He placed her on a chair, pacing the room for materials. Anna fought to sit straight, warily accepting the glass held out for her.

"Drink," Hannibal ordered. Anna did as she was told, permitting the burning alcohol to fill her throat. He left once again, dragging a stool to the shower, returning without shoes or tie. Anna smiled in the midst of her pain.

"You look so charming casual, Handsome Hannibal,"

"An-na, _shh_," He murmured, helping her to shaky feet. Pain struck her face and they pursued even slower. Anna leaned against the counter, helping peel off her cardigan, release her belt. Hannibal's fingers brushed bloodied hair to undo the string of pearls around her neck.

"They're…My mother's," Anna managed, reaching for the opalescent beads. Hannibal gently caught her hand, kissed her fingertips. "I will be careful," He promised.

Anna let out soft cries, holding on to his shoulders as he unzipped her dress. It languidly fell from her, revealing the blood-smeared section of her stomach. Ready for such a sight, Hannibal placed a large bandage over the jagged cut, holding in further fluids. He took her hands, led to the shower, elevating her body to sit upon the stool.

He wiped away the blood of her captors, the blood from her own body. A nick had been cut out of her skin, on the outskirts of her eye and cheek. It curved like a like a little moon with the bone. Anna looked at him suddenly. Hannibal continued to rub her body, from her shoulders to fingertips. "Can you stand?"

Gripping a pole, gasping at her own weight. The large doctor kneeled, cleaning her legs. He looked up: not for permission, but so she was prepared. Her throat flexed with a swallow before eyes closed. Carefully, Hannibal stripped away the bloodied remains of her underwear. Water ran orange with the mix of her blood between bruised legs. The same rage as before licked Hannibal's senses and he fought off the urge to leave her, to go back and finish that man in the most inhumane ways possible.

The little fingers suddenly brushing his temple, slicking back his hair, brought Hannibal to reality once more.

"I'm sorry," Anna Astor sobbed. Hannibal's entire conscious wavered, filled with detestable, unexplainable emotions. "I'm sorry,"

"You have _nothing_ to be sorry for, Anna. This was _not_ your fault. It was mine. Do not apologize to me, ever. It is I who should be begging for your forgiveness."

Her fingers clenched as Hannibal pursued, breathing haggard. He worked quickly and efficiently, shutting off his mind before rising. They were both soaked, standing together in the heated rain. Anna was having less trouble holding herself up now. She took in his soft, lost expression, the way he still held onto her. Hannibal finally lifted his gaze, catching her scalp with fingers.

He chased out the grime and blood, washed and rinsed until the water ran clean once more.

Reaching for a bathrobe and tying her into it, Hannibal lifted Anna Astor, carrying her to the bed. He returned to the bathroom for more supplies, stripping his body of wet garments, returning to find her in the clean underwear provided and a white T-shirt.

"I am racking up quite a collection from your closet," The cleansed woman softly teased. Hannibal afforded a smile, asking her to lie back. He sat carefully on the edge, beside her hip.

"This is going to be quite painful," He admitted. Anna nodded, adjusting her position before lying perfectly still. Warm fingers lifted "her" shirt, careful to pull the bandage away. Hannibal watched her expression between each move, from wiping the wound to threading a needle. Anna face remained placid until the first seam. Her fingers clenched the sheets.

"An-na, An-na. Try to think of something pleasant."  
"Sing to me."

Hannibal paused in his work, surprised. "I…Do not sing."

"Everyone sings. Your mother must have sang to you. Can't you remember any lullabies?"

It was such a simple request, and it hung so heavy in his heart. Never in his life had he sang to a woman. Hannibal was ready to deny the request once more, before looking upon Anna.

Little Anna Astor, wrapped in his clothing. The woman who asked for him not to leave, to take care of her over professional doctors. Who put her very life in his hands.

Who trusted him.

_"Tyliai leidžias pavargusi saulė,_  
_Paskutiniai šešėliai dienos._  
_Galbūt viską pasaulyje pamiršiu,_  
_Bet tavęs, mylimoji, niekados._

_Išėjai tu rasotais takeliais_  
_Nesiklausus tėvelio nei mamos._  
_Ant pirštelių skaičiuodama žvaigždutes_  
_Tu sakei, kad mylėsi visados._

_Daug žvaigždučių dar liko neskaičiuotų,_  
_Suskaičiuoti jų niekas negalės._  
_Aš mačiau - glamonėjo tave kitas_  
_Ir aistringai bučiavo lūpeles."_

By the end of the lullaby, his work was done. A perfect line of stitches held her reddened skin together, seeping no more. Anna sighed, lowering the shirt over them. "You see? It worked. You have a beautiful voice, Hannibal. Thank you."

He smiled to himself, putting away instruments into a tiny bag. Anna attempted to pull back the blankets before Hannibal was at her side, easing her body into the bed. Hands prevented him from rising and a deep chuckle caressed her ears.

"An-na, let me get the light."

She listened to him stumble in the dark. The bed tilted, sheets rising once more. He was so afraid of hurting her, arm over her ribs, burrowing his face in the hollow of her neck. Her skin smelled of him once more, warm and soft. Anna's head turned to lean against his, pressing lips to his forehead.

This is where she belonged.  
This is where he wanted to be.

"Hannibal?"  
"Yes?"  
"Thank you for rescuing me."

It was still for a moment. He would not accept gratitude for something he had caused. One of Anna's hands rose, tracing the bones of his face, his lips. A smile curved against fingertips, sucking them into his mouth.

"Why didn't you follow me from the restaurant?"  
Hannibal once again couldn't muster an answer, for a moment. With a sigh, not lifting his head, he replied;

"I thought I was sparing you from more stress and pain than you deserve. Little did I know, it would lead to even worse events."

"Stress and pain?"

"You said yourself that I'm not "normal.""

"I said neither of us were normal. Normal is an illusion. What is normal for a spider is chaos for the fly." She felt his warm breath chuckle on her skin, imagined the gleam of his teeth. "And when did little An-na become such a philosopher?"

"When I need to prove a point to people like you." Anna replied, still tracing his face. It grew quiet for a while, their breathing falling in synch.

"Hannibal?"

"Yes,"

He could feel her heart pound just a little bit faster, a swallow in her throat. Her fingers had stilled on his cheek.

"What if I cared for you as a woman?"

Hannibal Lecter rose on strong arms, face to face with Anna Astor. Her eyes caught the dim light, reflecting pools of crystal water.

His face, so serious, impervious, slipped into a boyish, beautiful smile.

_"If you cared for me as a woman, Anna Caterina, then I would have no choice but to care for you as a man."_

_The sun quietly sets_  
_The last shadows of the day _  
_Maybe I'll forget everything in this world_  
_But my love I'll never forget you _

_You left on frost-bitten roads_  
_Didn't ask your mother or father_  
_On your fingers you counted stars_  
_And told me you'd love me forever_

_Many stars left uncounted_  
_No will will ever find them all_  
_I saw you in the arms of another_  
_As he passionately kissed your lips_.


	25. Chapter 25

Hello! Does anybody watch American Idol? No? Team Angie! Tonight they all floundered. I leave for Disney World in twelve days. Meaning, I must write some amazingly magical fantastic tantalizing chapters to make up for a lost week, right? So let's get this thing going! I love all followers, reviews, and favorites! I own torn little An-na, but no Hannibal characters.

-M

* * *

_"Let me see her, __**now**__."_

_"An-na is very weak, Lily. She needs rest-"_

Words were lost as the door suddenly slammed in. Bright eyes surveyed the room to find the small form within the bed, barely on the verge of consciousness. Will Graham, Crawford, and Alana were slow to follow, passing Dr. Lecter.

Lily Astor finally came to a halt, pale. While Anna's skin was kissed with bruises, she otherwise seemed in tact. A flesh-colored bandage was on the corner of her eye. Fear faded when Anna's matching eyes opened, both as clear as before.

"Aunt Anna," Lily murmured. The woman breathed in her first conscious breath, stretching slightly. With her movement Hannibal flinched, ready to assist her at a moment's notice. Graham nearly smirked at the sudden, obvious caring streak in his psychoanalyst.

"How are you?" Crawford was all business. Dr. Astor took her sweet time in sitting up, leaving blankets up to her waist. "Just peachy."

"Hannibal told us where he found you, unconscious. What's the first and last thing you remember?"

"I left the restaurant. The hotel was in sight when I was stabbed-" She felt her shoulder, the new rise of skin as a scab, "-and took a blow to the face. I don't remember anything after that up until riding in a car with Hannibal. He said he found me in a…Cemetery?"

"In the nearby woods, yes," Will clarified. Anna's frowning face turned between them.

"Were they trying to bury me?"

"It appears they attempting to kill you and dumped your body on the side of a highway. It's a miracle Hannibal found you at all."

A soft brown head nodded. Anna looked up to Hannibal. "Thank you,"

"I am just glad you are safe, An-na" With the lick of her lips Lily brought over a glass, filled with water. Anna downed it, wiping her mouth. "May we go home now? If I was dumped, then there's probably no way of tracking him down."

"_Him_?" Crawford's attention caught. Anna backtracked.

"When I was attacked, there was only one man. I merely assumed he was working alone."

"Don't you want this man caught?"

"I just want to _forget it and go home_," Crawford's mouth opened, ready for reply, when a monstrous gurgling echoed the room.

Anna Astor pinked, covering her stomach. Even Crawford had to crack a smile.

"Hungry?"

* * *

"I don't understand why you're wearing a belt. No one cares if your figure looks…What did she say? _Boxy_?"

"Baggy," Hannibal corrected. Anna scoffed at the two, continuing to fill her mouth with sausage and eggs. The two fought off grins as she stole food from their plates, sticky fruit juice dribbling at a corner of her mouth.

"It's not even that tight. I made it loose, just because I knew you two hens would be up my crawl about it."

_Up your crawl_? An-na, my dear, have I brought back the wrong woman?"

Sitting in a loose, forest green dress, tied at the waist with a thin, double-bound belt, Anna Astor stopped eating. She swallowed her last bolus, staring hard at the table.

"Perhaps I've just grown to trust you two. And maybe I don't feel the need to pretend anymore. To be someone I'm not. It's really tiring, and I'm already so tired." Will blinked in surprise. Anna rose a worried gaze to first him, and then Hannibal. "Is that…okay?"

"Yeah, that's…That's great." A curly-headed agent professed. _Maybe I won't constantly fear you ripping me open and eating my insides._ A small smile answered before Anna looked to the wise doctor. Wrinkles about his eyes and mouth pulled with a nod.

"Great! I can't promise it'll be a drastic change, but it's good to think you two have my back."

"You need us," Will commented, beginning a lopsided smile once more, "Otherwise where would you find your meals?"

Anna Astor shoved the agent, trying not to grin. Dr. Lecter watched them both, relaxed.

They helped her up, so attentive. One on either side, hands wavering near her waist.

She was their partner, but more importantly, their weakness.

Jack Crawford breathed in deeply. The woman had already been abducted, right under their noses. And now, seeing Graham and Lecter actually _smiling_ at her,

Now something must be done to protect Anna Astor.

* * *

"You want me to _what_?"  
"Just temporarily, Anna. Until we're sure you will be safe."

Jack Crawford's dream team sat before him, one furious, tight-faced woman glaring daggers. He remained adamant in his decision.

"Until further notice, you cannot work at the Regions Hospital. You may be a target. It would be best for you to be in the presence of Dr. Lecter, myself, or Will for the time being-"

"Because _they_ can protect me? If you haven't noticed, they were within _walking distance_ when I was attacked," The brunette hissed.

It had been nearly four days since their arrival home. Lily tucked safely away in France while Abigail had been asked to remain at the hospital for a few more weeks, much to the girls' distaste. Anna was slightly intoxicated on drugs, abdomen re-stitched with a minor surgery. Her doctors seemed quite impressed with the job Hannibal had done. The cut in the corner of her eye would scar, they said. It was just another daily reminder of what she almost ended up as.

"In their defense, Anna, you stormed out into a busy city, by yourself. Perhaps you could teach with Graham. And, if I recall, Dr. Lecter is in need of a secretary."

Hannibal remained impervious to Anna's sudden glare. "Did _you_ set him up to this?"

"I hold no whims over Agent Crawford. This is his decision, not mine. Though you would make quite an efficient secretary. We all simply want peace of mind, knowing you are safe." Anna sighed.

_If I did succumb to this plan, I could work side-by-side with Hannibal. It would make it a lot easier, sneaking out._

"And this is '_just temporary_'?"  
"Yes."  
"Will I be taking self-defense courses?"  
"You may take some required classes for being an agent, if that would help," Crawford answered slowly. "It would make it easier for us to call upon your expertise."  
"If you give me the textbooks, I can pass all written exams by the end of the month. I get the book-knowledge, just not hands-on experience."

Crawford laughed, nodded. If there was one thing Anna Astor was, it was full of herself.

"Very well then. I'll pull some strings. In the meantime, where will you live?"

Anna stared at him, as if he were stupid. "I will live in my house."

"Did you not hear a word I've just said? I want you in the company of-"  
"Cecelia lives with me. She can take care of me."  
"You know that's not what I meant."

Pink lips puckered. _There is no way in hell I'm abandoning my home just so Crawford can sleep pretty at night._

"Fine. One of them can stay at my house. Will that make you happy, Jack?  
"Yes it would. Thank you."

She hadn't expected him to agree.  
A minor setback.

Blue eyes looked to Hannibal, Will. Her expression flattened.

"Sorry, William, but you have dogs. I have a cat. We're just not meant to be." Anna turned to smile at Hannibal. "Unless you refuse to move in as well. Then-"

"I do not mind staying at your home for a few days. I am quite interested in your décor," Hannibal cordially smiled down to her. Anna fought off a flushed pout.

"Great. Will, I would like a word with you." Crawford stood up, ushering Graham to follow. With a slight wave the agent did indeed do so, leaving the two doctors.

Anna stared at Hannibal pointedly.

"I swear upon my life, I did not put him up to it,"

"Mmm."

The doctor was ever calm and patient, enduring the woman's sulking. He held the door open and she ushered no more than a _thank you._ Anna stopped, unsure of what to do next. An eyebrow raised at her.

"I have a doctor's appointment."  
"I will drive you there."  
"Don't you have work?"

"It is nothing I cannot push back."

* * *

She was still too thin.

Brown eyes watched every move, kicking legs back and forth from a hospital bed. Blue eyes caught his stare, head tilting, "What?"  
Anna Astor was clothed in a dress of navy blue, sweetheart top covered with a sheer material up and over her shoulders. A deep cream belt was wrapped and tied around her waist, continuously slipping. She had already retied it twice, muttering under her breath.

"Your clothes hang limp against your body, now. I'm afraid I must fatten you up."

Anna's eyes widened with Hannibal Lecter's smirk. Before a witty remark could be made, there came a knock at the door.

"Hello, hello," Dr. Bedell greeted, staring at charts while walking in. The woman was middle-aged and tall, with bottle-fed blonde hair and kind eyes. She reminded Anna much of her mother. It was exactly why she chose her.

"Your eye and shoulder are healing nicely. It should only be a few more days until you can remove the bandages," Her voice sounded falsetto, as if a deep weight was pushing them down. Anna watched her with hard eyes. Dr. Bedell sat on her swivel stool, tall enough to place both feet firmly before her. The doctor put weight on her knees, fingers meshing together.

"But?" Anna asked, softly. The frown wearing Bedell's lips was not a favored sign. She bit her lip before gaining professionalism, averting to Anna's chart.

"The wound to your abdomen created some…Complications. Being over thirty, your egg count has already decreased. With the wound, however, it seems that number has been cut dramatically."

"What are you saying," It wasn't even a question. Just a quiet statement from a placid mouth. Dr. Bedell glanced at the paling woman. It was the one part of her job she really hated. Seeing the sudden fear in a patient's eyes.  
Knowing she was going to say exactly what they didn't want to hear.

"The chances of you ever becoming pregnant are less than ten percent."

* * *

For the first time, Hannibal Lecter felt he truly didn't belong somewhere with Anna.  
An intruder in the night, caught in an intimate moment. Anna sat motionless, mouth open to breathe. Dr. Bedell seemed so sympathetic, reaching out to pat the woman's hand.

Anna pulled away before Bedell had a chance. With one slow blink, chest rising and deflating, the damaged woman ducked her head. Anna rose with a forced smile, sliding off the examining bed.

"Thank you so much, Dr. Bedell. Please, have a good day."

She was thrown off by Anna's sudden dismissal, stepping back to let the woman pass.

A man she hadn't even noticed followed, closing the door behind him quietly.

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/ 107593878570461337/


	26. Chapter 26

Hello! The rating will be changed to 'M' after this chapter. I may post another tonight, if I don't go see Iron Man 3. I'm excited! I am blissful over all reviews, favorites, and followers! The chapter is so short. I just didn't want a ridiculously long one, so it was torn into pieces.

-M

* * *

A silent car ride awaited him.

Tucked in the passenger seat, staring blankly out the window.

"Take me home," She demanded, simply.

Anna Astor desperately tried to regain composure. Her fingers wouldn't stop shaking, even when she balled them into fists.

It was all she had ever wanted. It was the _one thing_ her mother had instilled in her.

_"Being a woman is a difficult job, Annie. We are often viewed as the weaker sex. Maybe we are. But there is nothing more beautiful than holding your child in your arms, as she opens her eyes for the very first time and smiles at you. The day you and Margaret were born were the two most subliminal, perfect days of my existence. That is what makes being a woman so wonderfully worth it."_

"An-na-"

"Don't."

The one word silenced him. The weight of it, one syllable. Chocolate eyes glanced at her. The expected anger wasn't apparent. Her jaw was slack, eyes half-lidded.

Anna Astor was tired and defeated.

"An-na, there is still a chance. There is always a chance."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore." Hannibal frowned.

"You expect me to pour myself into you, yet you push me away?" He asked quietly.

Her breath was long and strained. When Anna turned to him, Hannibal began to understand.

Blue eyes watery, rimmed red. Skin blotchy with a twisted mouth, teeth nearly bared. While her maxillary teeth were perfectly straight, gleaming pearls, Hannibal noticed the slight crampness of the bottom row. Long, pushed together. Another small imperfection that set her apart.  
That made her beautiful to him.

"How would you feel if you were just told the _one_ ability separating you from being a man or woman was taken away from you?" Anna returned. Stronger than a whisper, not quite a true voice.  
Suddenly she smiled, looking away. "How could you possibly understand, Hannibal. You. As if you have ever even wanted children. As if you even have the slightest inkling of this."

"You have Lily," Anna laughed: a scoffing, cruel sound.

"Lily may live with me, but she will never be mine. She's _Maggie_'_s_. Perfect little _Maggie_. Even in death the girl tortures me. Even buried in the ground, she will _always_ be better than me."

The searing words slicing the air were unexpected. Hannibal slowed the car, pulling to the shoulder of road.  
He watched her, caught between Dr. Lecter and compassionate Hannibal.  
Streams were cutting down Anna's face, mouth a laughing grimace.

"…You were jealous of your sister." Blue eyes shot to him, lips puckering.

"Of course. I could pretend to be friendly, charismatic. And I _hated_ every single person I came in contact with. Not Margaret. Margaret loved unconditionally, without the slightest second-thought. I can't _stand_ people, and she loved them. Now which child would parents adore more: the introvert, or the extrovert?" Hands ran through her hair, clenched the roots. Anna's face was a tangled mess of resentment and disgust.

"I am truly a despicable human being," She spoke softly. Without thought Hannibal shook his head.

"You are not, An-na. It is perfectly normal to feel the way you do. You've just received very traumatic news. It is stirring old, minor begrudging thoughts. "

"You are telling me it's _normal_, being glad my sister was murdered?"

"You are not glad," Hannibal stated, stern. The look in his hard brown eyes stilled Anna. "You are distraught. You were then, and you may be now. But I am here to help you, An-na. There are doctors, surgeries, studies. You will not be alone in this,"

He watched a brunette head drop, wiping at her face, nodding. Hannibal slid across leather, catching her jaw with long fingers. He felt her face unknot with each kiss touched upon her skin.

"An-na," He murmured. Hands had dug themselves into his suit, running down his chest. Anna pulled away, calmed and serious.

The way Hannibal Lecter comforted her, reassured her mind like a storm whisperer.

It was he who was there for her, once again.

"I want to go back. I want to help you with the man in the cabin. Tonight." Hannibal smoothed back her hair, caressed the shell of her ear.

"This will not be like teasing me in public or eating off my plate, An-na. This will truly be dangerous. I cannot promise there will be no mental consequences." Anna nodded, slowly.

Her red lips spoke the most beautiful words to grace his ears yet.

_"I want to help you kill and devour him."_

* * *

www. polyvore dot com /navy_nuetral/set?.svc=copypaste&embedder=0&id=48503893


	27. Chapter 27

Iron Man 3 was sort of, kind of, disappointing. I would have rather stayed home and watched Hannibal, honestly. The best part came after the movie, when they showed Tony talking to Bruce. I freaking love Mark Ruffalo. I have an old-guy thing. Isn't Mads in his, like, fifties? ...Yeah. I love and cherish all reviews, favorites, and follows! Thank you so much!

-M

* * *

She had downright refused to switch clothes.

Wearing the same elegant blue dress, hair now knotted at her crown. He couldn't even convince her to change out of the heeled beige shoes.

_"Perhaps I could stay at your house, for tonight. I don't want Cecelia seeing me after this."_

He led her to his home, filling a trunk with necessary equipment. The woman remained motionless in the car, head cradled in a bent arm resting on the window.

_"Do you have a phone outlet?"_

_"I do."_

Anna Astor filled his car with music. She was shocked to find he knew so little of modern-day artists.  
Her lips moved with the voice of Marcus Mumford, every word locked into memory. Wisps of hair fell loose with the open window, hand a sailboat in the flying air.

Anna was the essence of an oxymoron. Fragile, seemingly innocent.

And about to help butcher a man abandoned in the woods.

"I daresay you enjoyed that, _dailus_ Hannibal," She teased. The woods swallowed them like a breath of air, hidden in the twilight. Both trailed to the back of the vehicle, Hannibal's long strides doubling hers.

He caught her by the small of her back, the nape of her neck. With no time to react her body arched easily, hips falling against his.

Hannibal Lecter kissed Anna with a passion he wasn't aware of possessing.

"Are you ready?" His voice was husky, low, even in her dazed ears. Anna found herself nodding.

"I'm ready."

* * *

"Hello," Hannibal's voice was pleasant, as if addressing a colleague or friend. Blue eyes widened, finding out exactly how the doctor had kept the kidnapping rapist from escaping.

Hanging from a chain suspended out of the ceiling, by clearly-broken ankles, the man swayed with a low moan. Hannibal placed a large bag on a table and looked back to her expectantly. Anna shook herself out of the stupor, stalking over to him.  
He didn't even seem to see her. Only the two steel canisters she placed beside his own luggage. Abruptly Hannibal Lecter turned, releasing a knot of chain from the wall.

The man fell, head first, to the concrete floor.

Hannibal drug a chair over, pulling the man up by his neck. He didn't tie him by the wrists, but at the elbows.

"_Knock knock_, hello, can you hear me?" Accent voice singsong, slapping the reddened cheeks of the once-captor. Groggy dark eyes opened, causing Hannibal to smile. "Hello,"

"What…the hell…" The man muttered. He spat to one side, licking his cracked lips.

Those eyes spotted Anna Astor.  
The sudden, obvious panic racing though him was enough to set the two doctors on edge.

"Was it you then, my friend?" Hannibal murmured. The man shot his attention back to the calm, quietly amused doctor. Brown eyes flicked to his. "Were you the one who raped her?"

"I-" Words staggered with the sudden pain in his thigh, producing a scream with the doctors soft tuts.

"I do not trust the tone you were about to use, sir."

Pulling the knife out, Anna could see the tip missing, disintegrated. Hannibal's eyes rose with the metal weapon, lips an impassive pucker.

"Nitric acid is so acidic, even this knife began to disintegrate. Now, those pieces are eating away at your leg," The man was groaning in pain, attempting to pull away. Hannibal finally looked to him.

As if they were out to lunch, holding a friendly conversation.

"I'm going to ask you again. Are you the man who sexually assaulted An-na Astor?"

"Y-Yes," He choked out. A sneering smile licked the counterman's lips, teeth bared. They were longer, sharper than Anna remembered. Hannibal was back once more, filling a steel cup with the substance from a canister.

"Liquid Nitrogen holds a constant temperature of negative one-hundred and ninety-six degrees, Celsius. Now, is that hot, or cold, my friend?"

"N-Negative…cold?" The man was on the verge of losing consciousness from the pain.

Dr. Lecter finally noticed the slender woman, so out of place in her clothing. In one easy move she dug a syringe into the man's arm, injecting adrenaline.

There was no sleeping now.

"Who were you working for?"  
"Abirad Caldwell; she already knows-"  
"I did not ask what she knows. I asked you."

Fingers swirled the glass, stretching his jaw. He looked up. "Does Mr. Caldwell have a family?"

Hannibal sighed with his lack of response. Carefully he placed the cup from before beside the chair. Anna watched the tall, broad man return, pulling out two large bowls.

He filled them with the liquid nitrogen, and returned to the man. Meticulously Hannibal placed both hands of the captive into the bowls. The screams that ensued fell upon deaf ears.

_"Yes! Yes, he has a fucking wife, Catharine! He don't have any children, I swear to fucking God!"_

Hannibal sniffed. Anna was nailed to the ground, watching.

The man before her, torturing this man, was a new Hannibal.

Cold, calculating.  
The utter disgust on his face. Not because of what the man had done.  
Because the man existed to begin with.

She had never actually helped kill someone slowly, painfully, by herself. Always it had been a swift job: poison, a bullet through the brain. Death was justifiable, more moral in her sick mind, when it was quick and efficient.

This was a new experience entirely.

_You knew what he does. You knew how he killed. So why are you so surprised?_

"Where do they live?" He asked. The man's screaming did not waver, Hannibal waiting patiently.

_"M-Maryland! Fucking Maryland! God fucking-"_ A hand playfully slapped his cheeks, tongue clicking.

"Language, my friend. Language. There is a lady present."

Leisurely checked his watch, rising to his feet. Hannibal pulled the bowls away, spilling the contents back into a canister.

The man's once grimy hands were now mutated, gnarled, black.  
Lifeless.

Hannibal Lecter truly turned to her then, for the first time since they entered the cabin.

Wide blue eyes on a pale face looked back, mouth agape. A hammer fell into her hands.

He pulled her by the shoulders, towards the tied man. Like an executioner; a death march.

A wave of nausea distilled when the man looked at her.

The man, who so easily took advantage of her limp, helpless body.

The hammer fell upon his hand like an avalanche. Skin, bone, flesh, all burst into dust, snowing from the arm rest. Before she could stop Anna had brought it down again, destroying his other hand.

Euphoria licked her senses. His screams were a release of endorphins, tunneling through her nervous system.

Hannibal did not stop the woman as she bent down, taking the shining cup. Iced eyes watched the man.

"You have taken away more from me than you can give back. Now, I will do the same to you."

A strong hand gripped the man's face, forcing his jaw open.

Anna Astor poured the liquid nitrogen into his mouth, watching him attempt to spit it out. With one swift blow to the neck he choked it down.

She stumbled back, returning to the table, composing herself. A large form gracefully fell into place beside her, leisurely leaning again the wood. Their captive could no longer scream, only gurgle as the nitrogen destroyed him from the inside out.

"It will destroy all organs partaking in the digestive system, though his kidneys will still be in tact. His lungs, as well. Or perhaps his heart," Hannibal commented. He was the face of calm, easygoing. Anna slowly turned and chocolate eyes found her.

"Which would you prefer?"

Anna bit her lip. _He ripped out that girl's lungs while she was still breathing._

"…Lungs," Hannibal's grin stirred the wary fear in her heart, but she remained quiet.

_This is his love. This is what he lives for._

A half-eaten knife released the bindings of the man. The woman quickly cleared the table, just before a body came slamming down upon it.  
"This is going to be very painful," He spoke, as if babbling off the time of day. The doctor had tied him down once more before retrieving gloves. Anna's pair was loose, hands dwarfed by Hannibal's.

One of those piano hands raised to her as an offering. Blue eyes wide, she took it. He pulled her before him, mouth to her ear.

Mentor, apprentice.

His hand held hers with the scalpel, trailing over exposed skin. "If you do not mark correctly, you will ruin the organ. Or, he might bleed out too quickly." An arm had wrapped around her waist. With the first incision it tightened, pulling her to him. He breathing had quickened; she could feel his smile.

Hannibal Lecter was tantalized.

"You know anatomy, An-na. Make an opening large enough for your small hands, and then dig in. Grasp them by the bronchial tubes, the trunk of his lungs. Twist, pull,"

The carvings into the man's chest, her warm fingers slipping into him. Gurgled screams reverberated along the walls, writhing body all she could see.

Anna trembled. Her hands began to pull away, when Hannibal gripped her by the wrists. Digging her hands in only further.

"Look at him. _Look him in the eye,_" Hannibal breathed into her ear, hot, deathly. She was a mere bird against him, shaking with such tremors.

Anna Astor looked into the panicked eyes of her captive,

And ripped his lungs from him.

* * *

Hannibal did not let her leave until the job was complete.

Pouring the nitric acid upon the man's body, letting him disintegrate. Whatever remains were burned, canisters returned to the car. Anna wished to set the whole cabin, whole scenario, on fire.

_"If the fire spread, questions would arise. Caldwell would be suspicious."_

She hadn't cried, like she expected. The killing hadn't really even frightened her.

Hannibal had.

They drove to _Mumford_, _Of Monsters and Men_. Anna Astor watched him, every move he made.

So at ease, relaxed. More relaxed than he usually wa_s._

_It is his release._

"You did very well, An-na,"

"Have you ever done that with someone else?" She heard her voice ask. Hannibal shook his head only once. "No."

"Does it worry you, now that I know what you do?"

A dangerous look licked the corners of his mouth, eyes leaving the rode.

Hannibal Lecter smirked at Anna Astor, sharp face tilting.

"_Mano meile_, I do believe it was _you_ who massacred that man."


	28. Chapter 28

Blarg! I really wanted to say that. My story is now rated M, so I can right smut if I want to! We'll see. Maybe give your input in a review? I love all followers and favorites! I'm not sure what day it is. I keep falling asleep. I was wrapped in a blanket, with a towel over my hair, on the couch, and when I spoke I scared the crap out of my dad. He didn't even notice me, and I was directly next to him. I only woke up because No Country for Old Men was on. Haha. Enjoy!

* * *

"He does _what_?" Anna Astor repeated into her phone.

_"He makes angels out of his victims. Gives them wings to pray over him as he sleeps."_

An arm, wrapped around her waist even after sitting up, tightened. Anna leaned against her headboard, smoothing Hannibal's hair from his face. Eyes did not open though his pout lips curled to a smile. Anna scooted closer, pulling his head into her lap.

"Are these the only victims found? Or is this a recurring thing?"

_"These are the only ones, so far. They were found at a motel. Crawford wants your input. Can you come in?"_

"I can," The brunette responded. Her fingers trailed through hair to an inclined neck, sliding down shoulders blades, arms. Hannibal only slightly squirmed, breathing a sigh onto her leg. "What time?"

_"I'll pick you up in about forty-five minutes. Is that enough time for you to nitpick an over-the-top outfit?"_

Anna hung up, throwing her phone to the foot of the bed. Hannibal chuckled as the woman slithered from his grasp and into his arms.

"Do you have sessions today?"

"I hadn't planned on it, no." Half-lidded eyes opened in a way that always made her heart pound. Anna hid her face in his chest, moaning.

"Crawford has a new case. A man who cuts the skin of his victim's backs to create "wings." Will said he'd be here in about an hour."

"I thought he said forty-five minutes," Hannibal Lecter corrected. She pulled away with a coy smile.

"Yes, but you must take in to account his driving style. That tacks on at least fifteen minutes, wouldn't you say?"

"Not everyone can drive as crazily as you, An-na," He kissed her, crushed her to himself. Teeth nipped his neck, ears, nose, before Anna Astor rolled out of bed.

Hannibal watched her stretch, arms high over head. The woman refused to wear pants to bed, only clothed in a sports shirt from high school and underwear.

They had returned to his residence, that night. Bathed, ate, fell into a deep sleep. Anna had brought no clothes, and dressed in his.

It was maddening.

"So what will you do?" Anna asked, already smearing make-up onto her face. The doctor preferred her natural, but made no comment.

"Perhaps I will come in with you and good Will. Or I might just return to bed-"

"_Hannibal Lecter_, sleeping the day away?" Bright eyes turned to him, teasing. "What are you up to? Oh, I get it. While the cat's away, the mouse will play?" Hannibal smiled, waiting for sink water to warm. "Something like that."

The master bathroom came with his and her sinks. Anna had never had both in use before.  
Until now.

Slipping into a beige dress designed with detailed birds, a brown belt tied around her waist, the woman jumped onto the counter to observe her bath mate. She wasn't surprised by his old-fashioned shaving kit; it fit his persona entirely.

"What?" Hannibal questioned her smile. Anna shook her head.

"I just…Like watching you shave, I guess. So manly," A smirk curled red lips between a cloud of white, eyes back to the mirror.

"You simply enjoy the feeling of my skin right after." Came his light answer, rinsing off remaining cream. A grin crossed her face as she held a towel up to him. Hannibal lent his face to her, eyes closed as she wiped his skin dry.

Fingers caught the hollows below his ears, turning his face to hers. Hannibal could not retain a smile while she playfully purred, rubbing her cheek against his.

"So soft! And smooth. And deliciously scented," Anna cooed. He turned, kissing her. Legs wrapped around his nearly-bare waist, arms to his neck. The back of her dress was yanked down and Anna smiled, pulling away from him.

"Graham will be here soon; I have to go," This time, Anna was quicker, stealthy as she slipped from his grasp. The tall doctor caught her against the door, lifting her off unprotected feet, kissed her again.

The way he destroyed her senses, made her lose control. Heat fueled the pit of her stomach, causing her to pull away once more.

"I will enjoy ransacking your house, An-na!" Hannibal called after her disappearing form. Laughter echoed the empty halls.

Hannibal Lecter stood alone, the prospect of truly investigating her home looming in the future.

* * *

"How could anyone capable of this be _scared_ of something?" Anna frowned with Katz comment, turning to Will.

Will Graham, who looked so desperately tired. "Maybe he's…sick? A disease?"

"What was in his vomit?"

Eyes were trained on the two "agents," throwing ideas at one another.

"Cancer," They decided in unison. Will nodded a shaggy head, turning on his heel. A hand caught his wrist halfway down the hall.

"When was the last time you slept, Will?" Anna stood behind him, voice soft. She noticed his tired sigh, the way he looked her in the face.

"I don't even know anymore, Anna. A while."

"I…I could help you,"

"You could drug me, you mean," Will laughed. A sheepish grin answered.  
"It could be our little secret. Nothing major, just a little relaxer. I'm sure there's an empty office here, somewhere."

The cordial attitude of Anna Astor never struck him as genuine. Always guarded, from the tense way she stood to the glassiness of her eyes.

Somehow, in some point in time, it had began to melt away.

"…If you promise to stay with me. You're still under Hannibal-Graham arrest."

The young woman grinned, looping arms and dragging him off.

* * *

_"This is Doctor Lecter."_

_"Hannibal, hello."_

_"Jack! I was not expecting a call from you."_

Hannibal Lecter had returned to his office shortly after Anna Astor's departure. While investigating her home sounded blissful, it wasn't ideal to fish around without her there.

_"I'm calling to double-check our dinner party. I'm anxious for Bella to try your delicacies."_

Safe in his office alone, Hannibal smirked. _"Plan to be there at precisely seven, then. I hope my meals are regarded with the same admiration as you yourself feel."_

_"Is Anna with you?"_

_"Will said you wanted her input hours ago. Is she not at the agency?"_

The pause deadened Hannibal. He was not willing to admit worry, though the feeling was crawling up his spine. _Not again. Surely._

_"She may be here, then. I haven't seen neither her nor Graham for a while. Will she be joining us?"_

_"Yes."_

_"I see. Tell me, will it soon be Dr. and Dr. Lecter?"_ Hannibal laughed; a deep, resonating sound through the phone.

_"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Jack."_

The conversation ended soon after. Hannibal fell slack in his chair, musing at the ceiling.

He had searched but one room: her office. Filled with medical files, pictures of her and her sister, of Lily through the stages of her life.

Hidden in the top drawer of her desk, though, lightly placed on a folder of documents, was a picture of him and her.

She had been nagging at something he wrote, Will and Alana with them. Seated at his desk, ignoring her tirade. Dark hair brushed his shoulder as she suddenly leaned over him, head hovering beside him. Without thinking his face tilted towards her, breathed in the scent of her skin.

Hannibal Lecter hadn't notice Anna's smile until caught on the photograph.  
Gleaming as his closed eyes turned to her, lips pressed to her cheek, smiling as well.

* * *

It sent a shivering thrill through Anna, when Hannibal Lecter greeted her at her own front door. His smile, however much it had been occurring, was still a welcomed surprise to her. She turned, waved at Will Graham, and entered her home.

"Have fun digging up all my secrets?" Anna asked while hanging up her coat. She noted his attractive dark suit and articulate hair. "Did you go in to see patients after all?"

"I did," Hannibal agreed. He closed the closet door for her, lightly smiling. "Though I would rather you tell me your secrets than rifle through your drawers, _gražus_ An-na,"

'_It so wouldn't have stopped me,_' Anna's conscious deadpanned. Lips curved as she adjusted his tie.

"...Would you like to see where all my strange clothes come from, Hannibal?"

He gave her a curious, overly sexy look. Anna fought off a grin, instead slipping into a calm apathy.

"Follow me."

Shoes were left at the door with his, shortening her to the brink of his chest. Over the few weeks Anna had regained some weight, filling her curves once more. Her skin returned its peach pallor, the blushed glow she thought herself cursed with. Fingers pinched her behind. Anna let out what he'd deliciously call a squeal, turning to him with wide eyes. Hannibal merely shrugged. "I could not help myself."  
Her face flushed and a hand slapped his chest, no more painful than a fly.

Anna Astor suddenly stopped, turned her back to a door. Feline eyes watched him closely.

"I don't even let Cecelia in here. So, naturally, it is a mess. Please keep your disgust at a minimum, okay?"

"It isn't an animal pen or blood bath, is it?" The man questioned, serious. "Both are very unsanitary, An-na. You must always-"

Words ran thin as the brunette fell into the room, leaving the door wide.

Fountains of pastels, chiffon, pearls, sequins, tumbled over tables and wardrobes. Windows from floor to ceiling lined one wall, allowing natural light to cast glimmering reflections upon the air. Mannequins clothed in half-finished dresses, shirts, were scattered across the room. There was one white, antique desk close to the windows, covered with pots and bottles of thread, needles, scrap materials.

Anna Astor did not pay outrageous sums for her clothing.

She made them.

"I told you I didn't care about sports. My mother found other outlets for us to share while my sister and father were off at the track," Anna explained.

Hannibal did not answer, eyes drinking in the room. She had not lied: the room was indeed a soft mess. Pearls rolled over the cherry wood floor, outfits thrown over one another. Material and print designs covered all table surfaces. He picked up a charcoal pencil, carefully, and examined it.

"Try sharpening with a scalpel," He murmured. "It produces the finest point."

Anna drawled to his side, looking from to pencil to his face. Not with a smile nor frown she asked; "I've finished a dress for tonight. Would you like to see it?"

"I would very much."

A lonely hook protruded the wall, on it one single hanger. A dress of mint green hung beautifully, reaching no longer than the space where knee and thigh would meet. Delicate gold embroidery was placed over a sheer matching material, creating thick straps. The gold tickled down the ribcage to nearly meet at the waist. A plunge fell between the formed chest cups, cinching again and stopping down the middle.

"It is exquisite," Hannibal breathed. The beam of Anna Astor was more then enough to show how pleased she was. He couldn't help but smile. "Allow me to put it on you,"

"I have to do my hair first," Anna countered, frowning. Brown eyes took in the shining, beach hair, shook his head.

"Your hair is perfect, the way it is. Please," Hannibal persisted. The dimpled frown remained for a moment more. With a slow blink, it melted into a shy, accepting smile. Fingers unhooked her belt, placed it gently on a nearby table. When she began to unzip the dress he stopped her. Idle hands fell to her sides once more, gazing up at Hannibal. Strong arms ducked under hers, unzipping the dress for himself.

Since the news, the surgery, Anna had always been quick to dress. Turning away in his presence, pushing his hand away from the bottom of her belly.

There was no hiding as he stood before her. A finger traced the three-inch scar, chest tightening at the sudden pain on the woman's face.

Not of physical,  
But mental.

"It simply means I won't have to share you for a while longer, yet," Hannibal Lecter murmured softly.

She was caught in time. Heart slowing to a stop, breath catching.

He smiled at her, so achingly loving.

_Anna Astor _  
_slipped_  
_briskly_  
_into an intimacy_  
_from which _  
_she_  
_would never _  
_recover. _

"You…Are you falling in love with me, Hannibal Lecter?"

Worn face dipped, lips smiled.

When he looked at her, Anna couldn't tell which Hannibal was looking back.

_"If I were capable of such a thing, An-na, then I would daresay yes, I'm beginning to."_

* * *

stylezen dot net /?_szp=13529


	29. Chapter 29

Hello! I know the Crawfords don't actually have children. I changed that just for two sentences. It won't be mentioned again, so don't worry. I try not to change things around _too_ much. Especially since I don't even own Hannibal. I love all reviews, favorites, and followers!

-M

* * *

"You must be Anna," A tall, beautiful woman showed off argent teeth, hand elevated. It met flesh of the opposite color, with a light shake. Jack Crawford smiled as he wrapped an arm around his wife's waist.

"Dr. Astor, this is my wife, Bella. Bella, Dr. Anna Astor,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you. Jack did not exaggerate your beauty in the slightest," Words so flattering came out of a serious, shining mouth, without the slightest trace of fallacy. Bella Crawford was taken aback, glancing at her husband. He grinned.

"She and Hannibal are quite charismatic. I might have forgotten to mention that," Jack chuckled. Anna shook her head, dismissing the remark. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Working on supper, which should just be about ready. Allow me," Heels flicked across wooden floors, leading the couple to a familiar dining room. They sat across from each other, finding wine already poured into flutes. Eyes caught a large figure pushing through a swivel door with four plates precariously carried on two long arms.

"Hannibal, here," Anna offered, hurrying to take the plates balancing on his coat sleeves. A polite smile thanked her, inconspicuously winking one brown eye. Red lips fought off a grin before the two turned to their guests.

"I heard from the kitchen Jack refer to you as Bella. Are you an Isabella, or Annabelle?"

"I'm a Phyllis," The woman deadpanned, staring at her husband. The two men sat alongside one another, opposite the two females. "Jack only calls me that when we're arguing."

"I think Bella suits you much better. Together, we can be _Annabella_," Anna joked. The elegant woman seemed hard to please but smiled nonetheless.

Anna Astor fell in and out of the conversations that followed, lost in her own observing world.

Jack Crawford, who came off so rough and tough, was putty in his wife's hands. It wasn't quite obvious, both with strong opinions and attitudes, but their actions proved it. The way he looked at her, watched her lips move as she spoke.

"Do you have any children?" Her thoughts tumbled out before she could stop them. Eyes blinked wide, wanting to swallow the words back. Perhaps _I didn't say that out loud. Please, tell me, I did not say that out loud._

* * *

"We do. Two sons, both in college," Bella replied. Anna Astor forced a small smile, head tilting in interest.

"What are they studying?"

"I'm afraid we might have rubbed off on them too much. Criminology and forensics," Crawford answered. A dark head nodded, picking over the food left on her plate.  
Hannibal's eyes did not waver from her. A familiar, light tremble rang through fingers that clamped onto her wine glass. In one move Anna had nearly drained her cup.

The doctor rose to his feet. He hovered over Bella Crawford, injecting wine into a glass. "Your perfume is exquisite. Like the air after lightening strikes. Is it _Jardin_?"

The first genuine emotion caught Mrs. Crawford's face: amusement. "That is some nose you have, doctor."

Dr. Lecter barely registered the words answering from his own mouth, now refilling Anna's empty glass.

Fingers grazed across the bones of her spine, covertly slipping beneath delicate material. His fingers pressed into the hollow space between each rib; a gentle squeeze towards his body as he spilled blushing liquid into her awaiting flute. Anna smiled softly. A shaved chin nudged her face before he stood, eyes locked onto Bella Crawford's as he mentioned cancer.

Warm hands wavered on Anna's tense shoulders when he explained the next course, reassuring Bella the pig deserved to die. A twitch ran through his nerves at the word.

Anna looked up, just in time to catch the slight, sudden coldness in Hannibal Lecter's eyes.

* * *

_"I wish you'd hold me when I turn my back,_  
_The less I give the more I get back."_

The music, one sweet voice, was coming from up the stairs.

Feet treading in only socks, silent.

Not from his bedroom, his bathroom. Not his study, the first guest room, the second.

The third, painted a lackluster gray, was set with an attached bathroom. It was the eldest, never used by anyone but him.

_"Oh your hands can heal, your hands can bruise._  
_I don' t have a choice, but I'd still choose you."_

The room, purposely kept dull, for the sole purpose of insuring no one wanting to stay in it. While the master bathroom was grand, it was unlike this one's.

_"Oh I don't love you, but I always will._  
_Oh I don't love you, but I always will._  
_I always, I always,"_

Plain wood floors, olive walls. A window took up one wall, adjacent to the commode.  
Stacks of his favorite books lay by a navy clawfoot tub, in the middle of the room.  
A clawfoot tub, filled to the brim with white bubbles. Two peach feet were on either side of the spigot.

Anna Astor's face, neck, was floating above the water, singing to herself.

Pink lips quieted, smiled at the sight of the awestruck doctor. She sent a glance to the ceiling and back to his tall form.

"The chandelier is a nice touch," Anna commented. Dark eyes blinked, his body relaxed. Her head rested on the rim of the tub as he slowly ventured closer.

"You move so silently now." Hannibal Lecter noted, sitting on the edge of the porcelain near her legs. Anna sunk in a little more, smile still sweet. "The FBI is training me well, hm?"

"Too well," Hannibal grumbled. The hand reaching to the depths of water was stopped by a narrow foot. A shriek of protest met his ears when he kissed her toes, writhing to break away.

"_Hannibal_! Do you know how many bloody, gritty dance floors I've walked across? How many times I've ran barefoot outside?!" The wild mess of hair atop her head waved like a tornado with her squirms. Hannibal laughed, kissing up to her ankle.

"You're in a bath, yes? Surely, with the great many salts you used, the dirt has rubbed clean." With ease he pulled her closer. Skin slid down porcelain, revealing more of her leg. Hannibal turned, moving from the rim of the tub to kneeling, kissing her warm, wet skin up to her knee. His eyes found hers, pressing lips to the side of her leg just once more.

Anna pulled away, twisted. A mermaid trapped, leaning over the edge on crossed arms.  
They sat, face to face, one on land, one at sea.  
Hannibal Lecter's sharp-boned face began to smile at the serious look upon her face.

"Was it _him_? Was he the pig?" His thumb traced her collarbone lightly, watching as he did so. Finally he nodded.  
Anna contemplated this.

"…It was rather good, wasn't it."

The grin was too swift to avoid, baring white teeth at the woman. A crooked smile answered, almost sheepish. And then it slowly faded, eyes lowering with her chin, placed on the same folded arms. Hannibal frowned.

"An-na, what's the matter?"

Blue eyes glanced up, then down. Her lips fought for the right words, ones not too scalding or mild.

"I…When we first met, the first time I came here, you swore never to…To kill me."

"...I frightened you at the cabin, didn't I," Murmured words interrupted. Anna gained courage to look up once more.

His face held an unknown quality, between distraught and regret. Her head rose, leaned towards him.

"You did and you didn't. I knew beforehand that it wasn't your first time, doing it. And it probably won't be your last. That isn't what I was fearful over," A shaky breath filled her, eyes closing.

"…I just don't ever want you to look at me the way you did him. Because that would be the most horrifying, destructive moment of my life,"

Cerulean eyes opened to him. He watched the next words form her mouth in slow motion.

"I'm not afraid of you killing me, Hannibal. I'm afraid of you hating me."

The breathy noises caught her attention.  
Anna looked, only to find Hannibal Lecter laughing at her.

Every muscle tensed, unconsciously pulling away.

When he looked at her, with such unfathomable, unreadable emotion, it all began to relax.

"Do you know why I didn't kiss you that first night?" He asked out of the blue. Knitted brows answered. Hannibal gazed at the ground, the tub.

A knowing smile finally leaned to her as he watched her lips.

"I didn't want to kiss you good-bye. That was the trouble of it." Brown eyes found hers, crinkling with his soft confession; "-I wanted to kiss you good-night."

"Hannibal," Anna breathed. His boyish smile grew at her angst. "Hannibal, why do you do this to me, torture me so?"

"You know, surely you must know, it is all for you," He simply murmured. The long sigh out of her lips made him grin, laughing as fingers clenched his shirt, pulled him forth.

"_Hannibal_," It came from her mouth into his, warming the pit of his stomach. She was pulling him too far, arms tightly around his neck.

"_An-na_" Nearly a growl from his throat. He felt lips curl, sucking in the corner of his upper lip. Anna pulled with such a sudden force that the clothed man fell into the water, sloshing foam to tiles like a tidal wave.

Her bright, roaring laughter filled the air. It was too loud, obnoxious. Deeper than any noise she had ever made was Anna Astor's true, throaty laugh.

Hannibal could not stop his own laughter, escaping through swelling lips. His white shirt clung like skin, hair damp and bent in strange angles.

The impervious woman before him looked innocently at the ceiling, lifting her arms into the air. His body fell over hers, snaking around the naked chest, holding her weight.

"You are naughty, Ms. Astor," Blue eyes popped wide open, mouth releasing a gasp.

"Oh," Anna sighed, letting her arms cling to his shoulders, "Say that again. Say it again, Hannibal."

"Shall I whisper it against your lips, or your ear?" Long-fingered hands were slowly roaming the curves of her neck, shoulders. Just as they found the curve of her breasts, his hot whisper tickled her ear.

_"I have far more clothes on, An-na. It is hardly fair to you."_

* * *

www . ejpix dot com ?media_id=277766625489475014_210419244caption=patricia-bonaldi-fnobrasil-patbo-guaranazero-patri ciabonaldi-patriciabonaldi


	30. Chapter 30

Ah, I am becoming soft. I promised horror and angst. I must bring it back. Thank you to all reviews, favorites, and follows.

-M

* * *

"Jack sees the world at its worst. I don't need him seeing me at mine."

Agent Crawford's dying wife sat before Hannibal Lecter, slow to pour her soul out. Eyes blinked on an unreadable face. "He can afford one more worry."

She would refuse to tell her husband, until the precise moment she couldn't. She said she was shrinking, and yet not once did she save herself by simply standing.

Phyllis-Bella Crawford, in ways, reminded him of Anna.

_Her breathing was lacquered, caught. His chest rose and fell heavily on hers, pulling away just enough to see her face._

_"Is it too much? Am I hurting you?"_

_"F-Fine, I'm fine."_

"A little cell wanders off into my lung, just trying to do his job. By growing a…liver." The set hardness of Bella's face amused him.

_So stubborn, refusing to yield. To accept what Jack so willingly would offer you._

* * *

Will spotted her first, sitting parallel to Crawford's office. Eyebrows were slightly furrowed and a hand resided over her abdomen. Before he could comment, standing before her, blue eyes opened.

"Will," Anna Astor greeted. The man shifted his weight from foot to foot, finicky as she stood.

Something was wrong.  
_Maybe she's just tired_.

"We just spoke with the "angel" maker's wife. We have an inkling of where he might be," Graham informed, striding down the hallway. Anna followed with a nod. A sleeveless, canary-colored button-down was tucked into high-waisted emerald shorts, hair falling over one shoulder. Her extended legs did not stalk the way Graham was used to; she moved slower, wavering every few steps. Finally he stopped, offering her an arm.

"I'm fine," Anna stated. The sudden annoyance in her voice told otherwise. She dug into her pocket, revealing one sole blue pill. Will raised a thick brow.

"I'm assuming the drive will be over an hour, right? Take this. You look even more fatigued than I am."

"Doubtful," The word slipped out before he could catch it. Anna shook her head, deftly sidestepping him. "It'll be an overnight journey, Anna. Jack offered to drive."

"Then it's good I keep a stash for you, huh?" A smirk could be seen over her shoulder, stalling.

Will Graham hurried to the woman's side, following her into the backseat of Crawford's car.

* * *

_She had grabbed hold of a towel, knocking him away, laughing. He chased her form down the long hallway, smirking at her little squeals. He caught her by the waist, easily lifted her off pruned feet. Twisting in his arms she kissed him, unbuttoning his sopping shirt. Both top and slacks fell together and he wrapped an arm under her, letting bare legs straddle as he carried her to the bed. _

_Hannibal Lecter hovered, arms straight, on either side of hers. Blue orbs never looked away as she undid the towel, arching up against him to pull it free. A little smirk played her lips when flexible legs bent, slipping toes in his underwear and yanking them away. He returned the expression with the sudden widening of her eyes, catching a gaping mouth with his. _

_She couldn't even remember the last time she felt like this._

_"An-na, An-na"_

"Anna!"

She choked in her sleep, jerking. A belt fought back, pressing her into a hot leather seat.

Will Graham, drugged, was leaving a pool of saliva on her shoulder. Jack Crawford was watching her in the review mirror pointedly.

"Your phone."

"What?" Voice sharp, disgruntled. The familiar music and vibrate in her pocket finally made sense of Jack's statement. Quickly, without waking Will, Anna dug the phone out and answered.

"Hello?"

_"Why are you whispering, An-na?"_

"Hannibal," She breathed, head falling back to the seat. The only usual calls to her cell phone were from Lily's school, bitching about another felony the seemingly innocent child had committed.

"Will fell asleep. We're riding to a barn or cabin. Something. To look for the angel maker. I'm sorry, I forgot to call you. I planned to just as soon as we departed, but I must have fallen asleep as well."

_"I apologize if I woke you."_

"Don't. I shouldn't be sleeping now, anyway." Anna checked the time as she noted this. "Will is slobbering all over my shoulder. It's really despicable."

_"I awaken to that every day with you, An-na."_ Hannibal chuckled. He wasn't able to see her blush, though imagined it just the same. _"I find it almost endearing."_

"Well, you're the only one," She muttered. He heard a light sigh fill her mouth. "I don't think we'll be back until early tomorrow. Do you still have that appointment?"

_"I do. Has Jack grown suspicious?"_

Anna flicked her gaze to the man in question. From yesterday to now he had aged ten years, as tired as both her and Will.

"Yes."

There was a long pause, neither speaking. Finally, his accented voice came.

_"And you, An-na? How are you?"_

"I…I'm fine. I'll probably have some hormone attack and miss you in the middle of the night," Anna answered softly. She could almost hear his smile, leaning back in his chair.

_"And I, you. We must hang up now, however. Will is awakening."_

Anna pulled the phone away, head tilted. What? _How could he possibly-_

"Are we almost there?" A groggy voice muttered, rising from a homemade headrest. A woman was gaping at him and Will looked at her strangely.

_"What?"_

* * *

It was breaking him, forcing himself to look. Anna seemed transfixed, eyes for only the angel-maker, now having become one himself.

"My wife already doesn't talk to me. I don't have to put up with you not talking to me, too."

They were left alone, two beings and a holy deity.

"What's wrong with your stomach?" Will asked, finally. He could just see her lips twitch, with a smile or frown he knew not.

"My body's still readjusting with all my pretty 'complications.'"

"I'm sorry,"

Anna looked at him then, expression unreadable. She took a deep breath before tossing something to him. He caught it awkwardly, listening to the rattle of pills.

"I have some business to take care of around here. Tell Jack I have a ride planned. I should be back in about a week,"

"What do you mean, business? FBI, or-"

"It's personal," The woman made her way to him, smile on the corner of her lips. Two warm hands cupped his face, squeezed.

"You're a lot stronger than you think, Will," His brow furrowed at her, shivering. "Only a fool trips on what is behind him. What you do, what you have, is a gift. To waste it would be a horrible thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"So instead I use it, and waste my life?"

Her eyes, lips grew stern. "Your life isn't a waste. You are catching murderers who kill so gallivant and crudely. Crawford is right. You've caught the last three. And I am certain you will catch the Chesapeake Ripper."

Hands pulled away. Anna Astor smiled so confidently, sure of him. Will Graham nodded to himself.

She was right.

He was the only one who could do this.

* * *

Being with Hannibal, feeling release. It licked her body like flames.

Flickering, scarce memories pierced her memory, of the same euphoric, adrenaline release.

Ones she couldn't quite grasp, remember.

Ones much more bloody.

* * *

_"Baltimore State Hospital, Dr. Chilton speaking."_

_"Hello. I'm calling about a certain patient I was told you have."_

_"Yes? And who would that be?"_

A lonely woman, standing behind a crime scene barn, closed her eyes to the unending horizon.

_"I was wondering if I could make an appointment to see Dr. Abel Gideon."_


	31. Chapter 31

Four days till I'm off to Disneyworld! Wooooo! But, I'll miss an episode of Hannibal. Praise Allah for dvr. Thank you for all reviews, followers, favorites, and readers in general.

-M

* * *

"She really didn't tell you where she was going?"

Their session had turned from parenting to the "business trip" of one brunette doctor. Together the two conversed in an immaculate office, leather chairs facing one another.

"She did not."

"She said there were complications, with her body. She looked as if she were in pain,"

Will Graham's psychiatrist, always so unreadable, grimaced. Hands repositioned to try and cover the expression. Will mussed his hair with a sigh.

"I guess Jack gave her the green light to go, though. He seemed quite impressed with her new-found "_agent_" abilities."

"Did he, now? And what does that entail?"

"We all knew she'd tear apart the book protocol, and what-have-you. But when they started physical training, it just sort of…clicked. Her ability to think on her feet is outstanding. She took down three trainers in under five minutes. Something was really off about it," Will studied the floor. Thinking of her, eyes turned to the large cast-iron figure of a deer.

"After Anna's first hand-to-hand combat test, she looked terrified. Like she wasn't even aware of beating the man to a pulp. Every time after that, too, though less and less obvious. It's like she has no recollection of time when it happens."

"Perhaps it stirs the memories of her abductions," Will nearly snorted. _Abductions, plural._

"Whatever it is, I don't like it. If I lose one of the only stabilities in my life, I will never get sleep again,"

Hannibal Lecter raised his chin, attention piqued. "What association does An-na have to you concerning sleep?"

"She didn't mention it?"

Will shrunk, wanting to inject his last words at the sudden tightness of Dr. Lecter's lips. '_Perhaps they aren't as close as I thought. Or maybe I'm just not important enough to make their precious conversations.'_ "…She's been giving me sleeping aids. I have only ever used them with her around, though. I don't know what happens when I'm asleep. So far, it's the only true, blissful slumber I've gotten in weeks."

"Why do you not take them at home? Do you feel that, with An-na in your presence, they are more effective?" A shaggy head rolled, stretched.

"I wouldn't say that, so much as I'm afraid the medication messes me up more than my usual sleep. I could still be sleepwalking and she simply forces me back down, for all I know." Hannibal lightly smiled, crossing his legs.

"If you would like, I can sit in with you during these sleeping sessions."

Graham stood, laughing. "That's alright. I shouldn't depend on medication, anyway. It's a bad sign. Besides, I haven't had as much trouble lately."

"With no cases, how could you?" The tall doctor held open the office door. "Except, save Abigail. She seems to lay heavy in your mind, still." Graham nodded.

Hands deep in pockets, he left. Hannibal Lecter turned to his empty office, brooding.

_Why would she not call?_

_Wrapped around one another, skin cooled, breathing together. Her hair smelled oceanic, fresh, around his face, nestled in it. His exhale kissed her neck, arms around her naked body. _

_Carefully, unaware he was conscious, Anna moved his hand away from her scarred stomach._  
_ Eyes blankly staring ahead of her until with a deep breath they closed, returning to sleep._

The interrupting knocking tore away his memory and thoughts. A wave of annoyance fueled his stomach. He checked his watch before standing.

Alana Bloom stood like a pouting child at his door.

"Do you have an appointment?" He thought it rudely but, ever the gentlemen, laced his tone with a tease. She smiled.

"You got a beer?"

* * *

"Dr. Matthias, it's a pleasure to meet you," Frederick Chilton gleamed teeth at the tall blonde woman, firmly shaking her hand. Poppy lips beamed, head tilting precariously.

"Dr. Chilton. Thank you again for allowing me to come on such short notice-"

"Please, call me Fred." He cut in, still holding her hand. Brown eyes blinked, as slow as her smile.

"Frederick, then. I want to thank you for allowing me to come."

"It's my pleasure. We've had many doctors come to hold discussions with my workers and patients. You are not the first, though I must admit we've never had someone as…" Chilton trailed off with the waving of his hand, still transfixed on the woman. Pale blonde hair cascaded over one peaked shoulder, yellow against her white skirt suit. She had full lips and cheeks, with wide, alluring brown eyes. Chilton crossed and re-crossed his legs as his mind drew a blank. "Is there anyone you wanted to see in specific?"

"Yes, actually," Prepared for the question, the woman passed over a file with black-tipped nails. "A Dr. Abel Gideon. I've heard from a colleague much about him, and came to inquire if I could hold my own personal session,"

"Dr. Gideon is a star patient. I don't see why you shouldn't be able to," The man answered, barely reviewing the file. He smiled again at her. "Do you know how he was finally captured?"

Dr. Matthias allowed a long, demure smile.

"Yes, as a matter of fact. He had enlisted the help of a patient to abduct and murder a woman. As it turned out, the woman fought loose and killed the patient, a Mr. Andrew Rogers. The police arrived just in time to arrest the remaining man."

* * *

"Hello, Dr. Gideon."

A man rose from a standard cell bed, eying the two forms outside the glass. Chilton was quick to drag a chair over for the other with a lust-coated smile. Disgust riled Gideon until brown eyes caught his look.

The woman slowly sat, tucking blonde hair behind on lone ear.

Abel Gideon could just make out the familiar, dark freckles on the _tragus_ and _anthelix_: two permanent earrings pressed in by birth.

Chocolate orbs never left him as Chilton waited for gratitude, finally dismissing himself when none came.

The two sat alone, face to face, separated by one mere inch of glass.

"What a new face we have, my dear, sweet Anna,"

The blonde moved languidly in her seat, smiling down at him.

"Abel."

He breathed in deeply, blowing out a satisfied sigh. "The cheeks are a nice touch. Dr. _Matthias_, the apostle who took over after Judas?"

"What can I say? I have a knack for irony."

Dr. Gideon shook his head, smirk on the rise of his mouth. "So, to what do I owe this great pleasure?"

"I'm having flashbacks, Abel, and I kept help but feel they're from you."

"Whatever do you mean?"

Her stare had always excited a certain kind of fear in him. He nearly thought she had lost her touch before it came barreling through the glass.

"You know exactly what I mean. You know what you did. And that's why you tried to kill me."

"_Kill_ you? My own apprentice? I wasn't trying to kill you, Anna. It pains me to even hear you say that."

"Then what, Abel? What was your plan?"

The man rose from his seat, slow to the barred entrance. Anna Astor moved only veiled eyes, mouth tight.

"Anna, I didn't try and steal your life," Gideon breathed, gaze half-lidded,

"I stole your _memory_."

* * *

Abigail Hobbs followed Dr. Lecter home easier than expected.

Alana Bloom would be furious, he knew.  
It was the least of his worries.

"…You want me to do drugs?" The girl asked incredulously. Hannibal permitted a small smile, pouring the mushroom-laced tea into a china cup.

"Under my supervision, of course."

"Did Dr. Bloom agree to this?"

"Dr. Bloom and I disagree on many things." His answer was simple, returning to the frying pan. Abigail brought the cup to the counter, sliding onto a stool.

"Where's Dr. Astor?"  
"Working."

Abigail observed the kitchen, her surroundings. Through the five-minute tour of Dr. Lecter's home she had found small traces of the woman in question. A hair tie used as a bookmark, one lone earring on a bookshelf, a pair of floral pumps neatly standing in the coat closet. Another set of shoes, gray ballet slippers with ruffled lace and a small, black bow, peaked from underneath a coffee table. _Her version of house slippers._

"Does she live here? Anna, I mean."

"…An-na spends much time here, but still technically lives within her own house. May I ask why you're so curious?"

The girl shrugged, pale face nonchalant. "Just wondering."  
_Just wondering, because you two seem so married without even realizing it._

Hannibal Lecter scrutinized her, read her thoughts.

It was all working so perfectly.

* * *

"You were dangerous, Anna. More dangerous than I. You caught on so quickly,"

Heart pounding in her ears, mouth a sickening line. Abel Gideon did not look away, voice soft.

"It had become too much for me. Me, the killing psychopathic counselor, in too deep with his sociopath apprentice."

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Anna's voice stayed low, hissing. Abel weighed his words heavily.

"Anna, what do you remember of your family?"

"I had a very loving family. Two parents and a sister. What does that-"

"Who killed your parents, Anna?"

Wide, dark eyes, red lips parted for breathing.

_She couldn't remember._

"Anna, I was your psychologist and your eventual medical mentor. I taught you more than just anatomy and surgeries. I taught you how to wield your personality to your advantage, until it became too much." Gideon watched the skin of her arms prickle. "You became ruthless, Anna. You alienated your own remaining family, the only ones who seemed to keep your sanity anywhere in check. You began to kill just to prove you could."

"Is that not what you did, too?" Gideon shook his head, sighed.

"You sliced my wife's neck and shattered her larynx, before cutting the ligaments of her jaw and ripping the mandible clean off."

Those poppy lips came tumbling apart, inhale a painful, sharp noise. A strike of lightening filled her conscious.  
_Impossible. I…_  
_I couldn't be capable of that._

"…Why were you blamed for it, then?"

"Because I killed the rest of my family shortly after. You had reacted to my…passionate fury."

He watched her swallow, look away. Fingers trembled for a moment, stilling with her sudden calm.

"How do I regain my memories, Dr. Gideon?"  
"I cannot permit myself to tell you, Anna."

Audrey Matthias, with the feigned height and brown eyes, rose slowly, preyed upon the caged man.

Warm hands encased his over the thick bars, face mere inches away.

"I can't live like this anymore, Abel. I can't live half-knowing myself, feeling caught between conscious and not. The life I live is a lie."

Even if he had wanted to pull away, her fingers prevented him from doing so. He looked to her lips, the fake color of hair brushing his wrist.

"I need to do it again, Abel. I need to ceaselessly slip into my old skin, and track someone down. A man and his happy little wife." Her voice was just a whisper through the air. "I need something from her. Something that I've found I can't live without."

"Dear Anna, have you become jaded with life so soon?" It was a teasing question, amused. "Your thirst was once so unquenchable."

The tall, brown-eyed blonde smiled a silvery set of teeth.

"Don't you understand, Abel? I'm saying the thirst has returned."

* * *

"Done so soon?"

She hated that greedy, fucking man with the meticulous facial hair. Carefully she placed a smile on her lips.

_"Frederick, have you ever considered that, perhaps…Dr. Gideon is the Chesapeake Ripper?"_


	32. Chapter 32

Hi. This chapter is sort of weak, I know. But in my defense, I don't even remember writing it...So I'll just make sure to update twice tomorrow. Hurrah! I love all followers, reviews, and favorites! I leave in TWO days. I'm so excited!

-M

* * *

A soft, jangling noise could just be heard and then the lock clicked. Wide, half-dazed eyes lolled to Hannibal Lecter, mouth forming a tight O.

_"Someone is at the door!"_

_"Hello, I'm home. Hannibal?"_

Brown eyes glanced to the girl seated at his dining room table, placing a finger upon his lips. She giggled, swaying to the noiseless music that surrounded her.

Both were caught off-guard at the tan, blonde woman gliding into the dining room.

Dressed in a sleeveless, pleated white dress, hair folded into a pale yellow bob, tucked into a cream cloche hat; a sheer, blossoming bow tied around its base. Her lips were the color of strawberries, falling open at the sight of Abigail Hobbs. Slowly blue eyes swiveled back to the doctor.

"…What's going on?"

"Hannibal made breakfast for supper" Abigail's voice held a dreamy, slow tone, as if thrown into molasses. Anna stared at the tall doctor before he excused them both to the kitchen.

Eyebrows rose, waiting for an answer. Strangely enough, he wore a similar expression.

"What is she doing here? What is she doing here, with you, alone?"

"You were expected to arrive tonight. So _Will Graham_ informed me, rather. I did not plan on dining with Abigail alone."

Her gaze faltered, averted. Quietly, she answered, "I had to go see someone,"

"Someone you do not wish to disclose to me?"

"It's not like that, Hannibal. It was just something I had to do alone."

The look he shot her sent uncomfortable, chilled shivers down Anna's spine. She sighed.

"I went to see the man who served at my medical mentor. The one who…Made me this way. I think, anyway. His suppressed my memories and I wanted to see if he had any way to return them."

"And you felt _I_ would not be capable of this?" Idle hands were filling dinner plates with sausage, eggs.

"It's not that, so much as I wanted to see why he had done it. To see how he was fairing, as well."

"He is in custody."  
Anna nodded with his statement, rubbing her neck. "Yes."

Chocolate eyes watched every move, every limb that curled. Hot plates landed on the counter once more as he removed the hand from the curve of her throat. Hannibal bent low, and kissed her skin.

"…I killed his wife by ripping her larynx and jaw off. Apparently, I'm a suppressed sociopath." Teeth sunk into her, as if drawn by the statement. A low chuckle fell from the doctor's lips when he pulled away.

"Why, then, would you want your memories returned?"

Anna Astor watched him with a sudden apathy so unlike her recent days.

She blinked, rose her chin.

"Sociopaths have an incapacity to love. Perhaps that applies only to sociopaths and normal significant others. Perhaps, I am tired of living in the protective bubble I never even asked for."

"If it what you want, I will help you." He outlined her bottom lip, pressed into it with his thumb. "If you ask me to."

Wordlessly, a fracture of a nod, Anna Astor accepted his proposal.

He ingested the gesture, grew taller. Fingers suddenly tugged a lock of her hair. "Is that why your hair is blonde? Part of an alias to meet with him?" Anna smiled for the first time since she left the Baltimore hospital. Without a word the hat fell away with her hands, letting loose long, golden tendrils.

"It rained. My hair was so nice and straight this morning, and now it's ruined," His lips smiled at her, still coiling hair like a spider to web.

"I like it this way. It is very…Lithuanian."

Anna laughed, shrugging her shoulders high with teasing, puckered lips.

"I am An-na Lecter, Lithuanian goddess! My accent could sink a sousand sailing ships-"

Words failed as she was suddenly pulled to the real, murky-eyed Lithuanian. A tremor of fear sprang from her heart, opening her mouth. His breathing was suddenly heavy, watching her with unfathomable eyes.

"H-Hannibal?"

"Say it again."

Blonde hair slightly turned, brow furrowed. _Say what?_

"Use your whole name, this time."

Realization struck her suddenly. She swallowed, wet her lips with a blink.

"Anna Caterina…Lecter."

He inhaled, deeply. Fingers caressed her hair, wrapped it around one fist. A strange smile flickered his handsome face. Before she could speak, he claimed her mouth as his own.

_'What a great end to the day_,' Anna thought, wrapping arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe, _'To just kiss and eat and sleep with Hannibal Lecter.'_

"Oh," The two broke apart at the sound of a girl's voice, hazily turning. Abigail Hobbs was freakishly calm, fixating a slow gaze on them. "You were taking so long, I thought maybe you needed help."

"No, Abigail. We're coming. Go back and sit. We'll bring out breakfast in a minute," Hannibal reassured, fingers still dug into Anna's waist. The girl nodded dreamily before backtracking to the next room.

Anna Astor looked up to Hannibal.

"What the _hell_ did you give her?"

* * *

"What is it, Abigail? What do you see?"

Abigail Hobbs, clearly still under the influence of the narcotic mushrooms, grinned like an escaped mental patient.

Looking at the man and woman, in their home, feeding her a hot meal.

Just like her parents.

_"Family."_

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/174514554283268810/


	33. Chapter 33

Time is really crashing down upon me. It's going to be pretty close, but I do have a plan! I love all reviews, favorites, and followers. Truly. I own Anna, and nothing else in this world.

-M

* * *

"He is demanding to see Dr. Astor."

Jack Crawford and Will Graham stood together in Hannibal Lecter's office, eyes trained on the impenetrable doctor. "Is she here?"

"You want to inquire if An-na is willing to face her murderous captor just so you can question if he is _your_ murderer?"

"You make it sound dirty when you phrase it like that," Crawford grunted.  
A sharp-angled face tilted, brows raising. "Is it not?"

"He won't cooperate until he sees her. With the head of the hospital and Lounds claiming he's the Chesapeake Ripper, we have to at least meet with him. Though I doubt he actually is the Ripper."

Crawford sent Will a stern look. "We don't know that yet."  
The agent fought back an aggravated sigh, locking eyes with Hannibal instead. "Is she here?"

"I am not An-na's guardian-"  
"Just her boyfriend." He deadpanned, not in the mood for another long explanation. "And I thought we had discussed her employment as your secretary?"

"I believe she had errands to run. Once again, I am not her life supervisor. I believe she mentioned being back by noon. Tell me more about this fellow."

The two investigators glanced at one another, weighing options. A half hour wait loomed before them.

"Dr. Abel Gideon. No misdemeanors for two years. Found passed out on the floor of his cell and gurneyed to a medical room, where he forced out the eyes of a nurse before repeatedly stabbing her body with poles. The exact, meticulous way the Chesapeake Ripper did years ago."

Hannibal Lecter mused over steepled fingers. "When was the Ripper's last murder?"

"Two years ago."

"When did An-na lead to Dr. Gideon's arrest?"

"About two years ago."

"What about Anna?"

The three looked up, catching sight of a brunette slipping through a door. A white paper bag was clutched in one hand, a take-out bag in the other. Hannibal rose to his feet, chivalrously relieving her of the largest bag.

"Anna-"

"Well this already doesn't sound good," The woman chuckled. Will watched her hands dip into the bag, quick to hide a small, translucent vile in her pocket. "What do you want from me, now?"

"They wish for you to meet with Dr. Abel Gideon as part of a bargain," Crawford shot Dr. Lecter a glare, one he seemed not to notice. Anna turned with a slow blink.

She didn't seem surprised in the slightest.

"You read Lounds' report," Will figured. The woman nodded, smoothing her oxblood skirt.

"So then? Will you come with us?"

She looked to Jack, Will. When she became caught by dark, unblinking brown eyes, Anna smiled.

"How could I refuse?"

* * *

Will Graham feasted on a blue pill, dead in the front seat. Crawford drove once more as two doctors sat quietly in the back.  
Blue orbs were trained out the window, body perfectly still. While her lips did not waver, the slight wrinkle near the scar of her eye proved an almost-smirk.

"So where did you disappear to for a week, Anna? You missed another great feast at the Lecter residence," Anna smiled amiably.

"I went to see a medical specialist. He put me through several tests before determining what should be done."

"And?" Hannibal asked. She was breezy, as if speaking of happy memories.

"The stab wound I received tore my uterus into halves. My cervix was nicked, but the real damage was taken by the corpus. The only way I would ever be able to reproduce is with a uterus transplant."

Crawford fought for a reply, slightly stunned by her blunt truth. Anna Astor seemed unfazed.

"…So what now? Can they transplant a woman's uterus?"

"They can, in fact. I have been added to a transplant list."

"Well congratulations, Anna,"

The Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane appeared as a towering mass, shadowing the front lawn. Will stumbled into consciousness, wary of leaving the car. He and Jack went first with vows of not leaving the agent in the air. Hannibal and Anna trailed behind, taking in the scenery.

"A medical specialist, hm?"

The brunette woman turned to Hannibal Lecter, smiling grandly.

"Yes. And you are, in fact, about to meet him."

* * *

"So, this in the Anna I've heard so much about," Frederick Chilton flattered, extending a hand. Anna looked at it, passively, and refused the greeting. The doctor's face began to fall before a strong grip took his, shaking.

"I am Dr. Lecter, accompanying Anna. Forgive her lack of communication; coming here is quite hard for her."

"Quite understandable. Pretty little women shouldn't have to deal with murdering psychopaths such as Gideon." Chilton agreed, ignorantly. Will took notice of the sudden pulse across Anna's left temple, growing with her swallow.

_If Anna was one of those murdering psychopaths, Chilton, I'm sure you'd be on the top of her list._

"Are we ready?"

The group, now accompanied by Alana Bloom, slipped quietly between glass homes of men, blankly leering through windows.

Unconsciously they formed a small circle around Anna Astor and Alana, a human barrier from their eyes.

The wall dispersed before the cell of Abel Gideon, brown eyes widening with a moan.

"Oh, _Anna_," He sighed, rising to his feet, "My beautiful little song bird, my dancer. You've come."

"Hello, Dr. Gideon." The murderer nearly smirked as Chilton's head swiveled, caught by Anna's voice. '_Heard it before, have we?_'

"You came to visit me. Oh, I am so pleased. How are you? Married yet?"

"I'm afraid not, Doctor. It seems no one would have me," The woman was acutely polite, standing between Hannibal and Will. Gideon clicked his tongue.

"So no children, then? A pity. If they shared any of your genes, surely they would be sublime little nymphs-"

"Dr. Gideon," Crawfword's voice, strong and commanding, "We've brought Dr. Astor, as promised. We would like you to have a session with Dr. Bloom now. I've been told you're familiar with her-"

"I want to talk to Anna. Why would I ask you to send for her otherwise? To simply gaze at her through my glass cell?"

Silence answered. The slow clicks of heels resounded the wall, Anna's amused expression fixed on Gideon. Without looking away, she spoke:

"Leave us."

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about?"

Four adults stood near twenty feet from a lone chair, holding one slender woman. Hair in a dark ponytail, dressed in a sheer, white, long-sleeved shirt, tucked into a skirt with a high, oddly-curved cut. Her posture was formal but relaxed, legs crossed, laughing at something Gideon remarked.

Crawford had expected her nervous, shaky.  
Hannibal knew better.

_This man, suddenly claiming to be the Chesapeake Ripper four days after Anna's last visit?_

* * *

"You intend to inject yourself with Sodium Thiopental."

"You've ruined my fun, Abel. I didn't even get to show you the bottle."

The startling psychopath raised his eyebrows, look challenging. "If you inject too much…You'll _euthanize_ yourself."

"It's good I had such an excellent medical mentor, and six years of schooling on top of that."

"Along with your double-major of psychology, you were a horror story waiting to happen." Anna bit back a smile as Gideon dramatically sighed. "Such a dangerous method, Anna. Surely that protective doctor of yours could resurface your precious memories."

She watched him, gaze hard. Abel had no trouble holding that look.

He had seen it many a time over the past decade and a half.

"Just tell me one thing, Abel. Did you murder my parents?"

A deep breath, a moment lost in time.

His face was a mask, brown eyes upon hers.

"I became your psychologist after the event...but I am not the one who murdered your parents, Anna."

_Can I believe him? The man who so desperately emptied my mind?_

"...Will you speak with Dr. Bloom, now? You may not have to leave with Agent Crawford, but he is the one who drove me here. If we stall any longer I'll never hear the end of it,"

The woman rose, languid. A peach hand unfolded across clean glass.

Slowly, his hand shadowed hers.

_Cain, and Abel. _

Anna Astor stalked past the quartet of FBI assistants, face calm.

"He's all yours."

* * *

lolobu dot com /look/4911


	34. Chapter 34

Alright. I'm trying really hard to get this perfect before I leave. I really hope and pray I'll have enough time tomorrow. Here's a tidbit chapter that needed to be released! I love all reviews, favorites, and followers!

-M

* * *

**_Assistant FBI Agent Anna Astor, the Love Interest of Chesapeake Ripper?_**

A whirlwind bee-hive of hair sat atop the amused face of Anna Astor. Pinstriped arms of her blazer crossed, staring pointedly at the FBI crew and one tall, male psychologist.

"I see you spent your money's worth on Freddie Lounds. She certainly didn't disappoint,"

"You know this isn't what we intended-"

"You _intended_ to piss off the Chesapeake Ripper into killing again, through repulsion of being misconstrued. You've even given him the perfect target."

Not one agent could deny her statement. Anna sighed.

"You must force Ms. Lounds to remove the article," Hannibal's accented voice was mild, controlled. Will nodded and Anna fought back the smirk so desperately itching at her lips.

_How funny, to be pegged as the love interest of the Chesapeake Ripper, only to have him dubbed the wrong man._

She was leery of meeting his gaze. It all seemed too easy, too simple to laugh at the irony. Drawling enough boldness, Anna found his pressed face hard, taut with anger over the article.

Enough to fool Crawford, Graham, and Bloom.

Not sufficient in convincing Astor.

"You've at least accomplished your goal. I'm sure the Ripper is certainly enraged now,"

Alana couldn't suppress the annoyance coloring her skin. "How can you joke about this, Anna? You could be in serious danger now."

"I'll take my chances," Anna wiped the edges of her mouth with one long middle finger. "After all, is this not why I was put into agent courses? I've passed everything you've thrown at me, Jack. The only reason you don't dub me as certified this instant is because it'll look bad. As if you skirted me through just to help your cases,"  
Crawford made no comment, brooding in his classic, steepled-finger way. Finally, he agreed.

"So you're going to let Lounds feed off Anna's danger, just to try and rattle the Ripper?" Will sounded disgusted. A dark face did not falter from his serious expression.

"It is an extra puncture to the Ripper's pride. Not only is someone gaining credit for his work, but now, he apparently has a soft spot for an FBI specialist."

"Oh my. What if instead of just cannibalizing me, he makes me his sex slave?" Slender shoulders shivered at the thought. "But what more could I expect? You allowed a fox into the chicken pen. The bitch hates me, and this probably seemed like a quick fix."

"What reason does she have to hate you more than the rest of us?"

The woman, so cocky before, now pursed her lips with averted eyes. Hannibal let out a quiet breath. "She ripped Ms. Lounds by the hair to the floor of my office, and told her to stay away." Jack's knuckles let out sickening cracks at this, slow to answer.

"...And you just stood there and let that happen, Hannibal?"

"_Bad ass_," Will muttered under his breath, admirably. Anna sent him a quick grin, letting it slip away at the sudden glare of Crawford. He sighed.

"If you feel safe even with the tabloid article out, Anna, then I won't ask to have it removed. I feel it's the exact push the Ripper would need, if it isn't Gideon." It was a dismissal. The others stood, heading to the closed door of Jack Crawford's office.

"Would you care to join us for lunch, Will?" It was Anna, still merry over his comment. A shaggy head shook his negative response. "I have a lecture hall to get back to."

He watched shoulders shrug, hurry to the side of her significant other. A light smile was etched into Hannibal Lecter's mouth as she neared, watching every step.

Will Graham wouldn't be too worried, knowing that Dr. Lecter was around to watch out for the vengeful Chesapeake Ripper.

* * *

"I don't see how you could not find it the _slightest_ bit funny."

"Which part, An-na. The part where Lounds put a noose 'round your neck, or the component consisting of my work being noted as another's?"

Blue irises rolled, much to his distaste. Anna stirred another spoonful of sugar into her tea. "Yes, but that's just it. If you're the real CR, then why should I worry? Unless you think it'll be weak if you don't, in fact, kill me."

A smirked kissed the side of Hannibal's mouth. "I believe you were more worried of becoming his sex slave. Perhaps that is what I shall force you into, instead."

Anna's mouth nearly salivated at the thought. Purposely she swallowed, glancing at her plate of fresh greens . "I believe I could live with that."

"I have a scheme set up for revenge, anyhow," Fingers poised a fork to his puckered lips, accepting the café food he so meticulously ordered. Though it took only minutes for him to scan the menu, every word, every choice weighed heavily in his mind: she could see it. "The only other worry is your recollection of memories."

"I've been thinking about that," The brunette set her expression into a firm wall, eyes locked on his face. Hannibal allowed his eyebrows to raise in wonder.

"I think…I think we should do _it_ again before I gain my past once more. In case….In case it changes me into someone else."

Hannibal looked confused for a moment. "Do what, An-na?"

"You know. _It_."

"Make love?"

It was an uncomfortable, trembling embarrassment, that his words set off. Hannibal watched the color fill her face, eyes looking anywhere but to him.

"You make it sound so…artistic."

"What do you expect? I am European."

She smiled at him, crooked lips warming his chest. Hannibal permitted a rare, toothy smile, reaching for the hand resting upon the table.

He kissed her knuckles, unrolled joints to graze matching fingertips. Chocolate eyes caught her in his web.

"I have no quarrels with your request, An-na. Just name the scenario you wish to unfurl. Perhaps you do wish to be the CR's slave?"

The wispy nest of hair floated precariously as she shook her head. With a soft, shy smile, one of her very last, Anna spoke.

"No, I want to spend the night with '_Just Hannibal._'"

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/242350023667374571/


	35. Chapter 35

She had expected the typical date to occur.

All were aware of her ballet fondness, of quaint cafes and musicals. The night was planned in her mind before it even began.

So, naturally, Anna Astor was quite surprised when Hannibal Lecter did not call for two days.

Abruptly appearing on her doorstep, wordlessly passing her. He trailed into her closet and packed a bag with items she was not permitted to view.

Clamping the lacquered suitcase shut, raising eyebrows with a straight face.

_"You are not to open this, under any circumstances."_

She stared, brooded over the cylinder case, nibbling her thumb as she sat cross-legged on the hardwood floor.

Cecelia smiled to herself, ushering not a word.

His action had created the exact _reaction_ she knew he pursued in the woman.

Anna Astor awoke on the third day to find a peony on her pillow, an outfit carefully arranged on her dresser.

_Your outfit for the day. I will pick you up at precisely 2 P.M. Try not to dawdle. _

_-H_

Of all the choices, he had picked the navy, gathered-neckline maxi dress, cut at the waist into deep blue and white zigzag lines. It was a pretty garment, but not suitable for the aristocracy of a professional ballet.

"He was very specific," Cecelia assured, smoothing the zipper up her spine, "He showed up on the doorstep with a note and a flower, and explained this outfit to a tee."

"Why didn't he come in here, himself?" Anna was sickened by the grudging pout in her voice. The elder let out a breathy chuckle while releasing brunette hair from a tight clip.

"You'll just have to ask him tonight."

It was torture.  
Lounging around, pretending to be busy. She re-filed old med sheets, manicured her toes and fingers. Cecelia stilled her finally with warmed curlers, precariously hanging from her bobbling head.

Anna found peace at last in the music room, sitting at what was once her father's piano.

_…Or was it? Did my father even play piano, or did Gideon implant the idea in my conscious?_

Hair pins removed, face lightly painted. A slim wrist lifted a watch, just as the doorbell resonated the house.

"_Hannibal_," Anna's greeting was breathy, excited. Impatient. A light smile found his face before falling.

In a perfect, feigned disappointment, Hannibal Lecter lifted her arm. With two fingers he pulled the watch away, handing it carefully to Cecelia.

"That was not part of my instructions. If it was not laid out for you, then it is not necessary."

Cecelia waved them off, kissed Anna's cheek. The gray woman surprised Hannibal with her firm handshake, the strength of a thirty year old.

"This dress really isn't appropriate for the Ballet," Anna noted pointedly. Her home was becoming a grain on the horizon before disappearing entirely, masked by thick tree trunks. Anna just caught the smirk of his mouth.

"I do not recall verifying that as our destination."

"A musical? Dinner?"

"We will be having dinner, but not at the kind of restaurant you have in mind." Blue eyes finally drank in Hannibal's attire.

The ever-meticulous, formal man was wearing a cable knit, shawl-collared sweater of off-white, and dark blue jeans.

_Blue jeans_.

Hannibal chuckled, glancing away from the road for the slightest moment. "I wondered when you would notice."

Her jaw, unhinged, slowly returned to swallow. Anna was speechless. A funny little smile graced his lips.

"I thought I would drop dead before I would see you in blue jeans. _Blue jeans_."

The man, so foreboding in his height and build, simply shrugged.

"You asked for '_Just Hannibal_.' Here I am."

* * *

She had fallen asleep.

Temple warm on the window's glass, the everlasting silver trickle about to fall from her lips. Hannibal nearly grinned. The car came to a quiet stop and he eased out without her.  
He returned some twenty minutes later to find her in the same position.  
With perfect timing he swung the passenger door open, catching her limp body a moment before it hit the sand. Still the brunette did not awaken, breathing a calm constant into his arm.

Hannibal finally stopped, carefully falling to the ground. Anna between his arms, his knees, face cradled in the crook of his neck.

The ocean was whispering to her in sleep. She could hear its call, its smell, grazing her skin. She inhaled deeply. Something scratched her temple, nudging her, kissing her.

Anna blinked robin's eggs eyes, saw the sand, the long, strong legs on either side of her. Her head rose.

Hannibal Lecter was watching her with a soft, amused smile.

"Good evening, An-na. Welcome to the land of the living."

She looked dazed. The doctor chuckled, caught her chin and kissed her. Anna swayed before pressing back.

"We…How did we get to the beach?"

"Well if you recall, it was by car."

It annoyed her, his answer, as he knew it would. He pushed long hair from a shoulder and bit into her skin, her neck. Tension of a thousand days poured from her with his touch.

"Come. Walk with me," Anna pulled heels from her feet, carrying them in her left hand, holding his with her right. He was breezy, carefree as he viewed the tide. Her eyes followed his before scanning the shore.

"Why are there no other people here? Is this private land?"

"I have my ways, An-na. Do not worry yourself with it."

Watching her gape, mouth falling open at the possibility of his words, was worth asking a client for the beach until Monday. Hannibal let loose a toothy smile before kissing her temple and pulling onward.

Dinner for two awaited on a small table, right on the sunset shore. Candles let off a soft glow and Anna breathed in an awed gasp. Hannibal held her chair out, pushed her in and filled twin wine glasses.

"A main course of calamari and shrimp, lobster sauce with tarragon, red rice, and baby spinach." He announced. Anna clapped, catching a grin before he sat himself.

The meal really did taste like seafood. He watched her carefully savor each bite, inspecting for "_special_" ingredients. Anna lost herself to the taste and eyes would close, sighing. "You could always just become a chef. I pay quite well."

Hannibal shook his head at her. Anna shrugged with a whimsical sigh. "It was worth a shot."

Dessert was ripe strawberries drizzled in chocolate. Anna never appeared more greedy as she devoured hers and stole his with nimble fingers. No guilt could grace her face after each strawberry, not even after his disproving look. Stained lips smiled at him.

"Now what, _dailus_ Hannibal?" His head tilted, surprised.

"You really did not look in your suitcase?"

"You told me not to. Cecelia watched me like a hawk. Is there a clue in it?" Anna rose to her feet. "Is it in the car?"

"No." Baby lips were caught by a blushing glass, one lone finger pointing her directions. Anna was off in an instant, shoes once more.

Over a ridge, on the brink of the shore. It wasn't any larger than a white camping tent.  
And then she realized that is exactly what it was.  
Sand crunched and Anna turned. "Are we staying here, tonight?"

"That was my plan, yes." He answered the air. Already Anna was tumbling down the dune to the makeshift hotel.

Dusk fell so quickly. Tiny lanterns lit her path as she ripped apart the suitcase. A dress, clean underwear, bra, sweater, hat, and a swimsuit were its only contents.

Anna Astor rose slowly, suit in one hand.  
Hannibal watched the material fall from her fingers.

_"Why wear a swimsuit, if we're the only ones here?"_

* * *

She had not _really_ expected him to comply.

It was one thing for her, bare-chested Anna Astor, to fling her underwear to the shore, already waist-deep in the water.

It was quite different for Hannibal Lecter to walk out in nothing whatsoever.

"Staring is quite a rude habit, An-na," His tease warmed her face. She hoped he couldn't see it in the dark.

They watched each other. Waves knocked into skin, eyes gleaming.

In an instant, Anna disappeared under the surf.

The brunette was lost in the abyss, try as he might to catch a glimpse of her skin, her hair.

A set of unease glided into the pit of his stomach before the woman appeared, hands ripping his shoulders until he fell. Water filled his noise, ears, and just as she made her escape, Hannibal Lecter caught a tan ankle. It flailed, kicked at him, hands joining the barrage. Quickly he exchanged the leg for an arm, yanking her from the sandy ocean floor.

Panting, he crushed her body to his, refusing to give in. Anna finally admitted defeat, breathing just as heavy. "You…Are no fun, Hannibal,"

"No fun? I…am the classic essence of the word," He inhaled through his nose, deeply. Anna let out a laugh. His grin was crooked before pinching her cheek, tugging her hair. "You are just not as receptive to my humor."

"I soon will be, I feel," Her answer was so much more somber than their current mood. Anna was blankly fixated on his torso.  
She couldn't remember the last man she had been with who had a haired chest; thick, mixed with the first beginning shades of gray.

Her fingers dug trails through it, to the lines of his hips. She looked at him suddenly, and smiled.

It was a bittersweet, beautiful smile.  
Of current happiness and fear of the future.

Of becoming someone she no longer knew.

Heart pounding, mouth dry. He cupped her face in two large hands, eyes a dark twist of stern and gentle.

"No matter who you become after, Anna, my feelings for you will not change. You are my An-na, and I will not forget who you are."

His vow rocked her ribcage, tore away her lungs. Anna breathed in a sharp inhale.

It was love. It was the closest thing to love she would ever get him to admit to.

It was enough.

"I want to go back," She breathed, lopsided smile slowly growing. "I want to go back to the tent and make mad, passionate love to you, Hannibal Lecter."

His true, genuine smile was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

* * *

Senses were a chaotic rage, caught between fight or flight. Of staying where he was as the slender, tantalizing woman rubbed him dry, or run as far away as his legs could carry him.

His entire being quaked with her touch, the way she missed not a single inch of his skin.

Anna's sweet smile both burned and froze him; unsettled, unaccustomed. Her body brushed against his upon standing on tiptoe, lightly tousling pale hair with a towel. He caught her hips, breathed in the scent from her neck.

Anna paused, arms above her still, as Hannibal pulled her towel away.

Hands trailed from her forearms, elbows. The hollow space under arms, each twist of her ribs. She began to move before lips hushed her. Brown eyes were not on hers but the soft skin his fingers grazed. He held her breasts in two hands, rocking her gently. He could feel her breathing through his fingertips, slow, deep.

His sudden movement surprised her. Falling to his knees, holding onto her waist.

Hannibal Lecter's eyes never left Anna's as he bent forward, and licked the length of her scar.

The same fire as before burnt her mind, her chest. It consumed her wholeheartedly,

with such a profound hatred she nearly gasped.

And when his soft, careful lips began to press into her stomach, it all fell away.

His smile was young in the dim light, sweet. Anna cupped his face with both hands.

"_Hannibal_," It was a groan, kissing him. She could feel his smile pressing back. Fingers were teasing her, smearing her breasts before feather-twisting her nipples, hardening them. Anna rose to her knees, ran her hands over his chest, his arms. She pulled at his hair and tilted his head, forceful, passionate. Her hot mouth found his ear. "_Take me_,"

He watched her face as he coiled long brown hair around his fist. He pulled her down to the soft blanketed floor, hovering.

Hesitant.

"I…do not wish to hurt you, again," Hannibal softly confessed. He could just make out her eyebrows lower, mouth a small downwards curve. "You didn't hurt me, Hannibal."

"It does not bode well to lie, An-na. Especially when it concerns your health." A sigh tumbled from her mouth. It blew through his bangs, cooled his temple. "If it becomes too much, or rough, I'll tell you. Okay?"

He did not respond for some time.  
Careful, warm fingers suddenly lifted her thigh, maneuvering himself between her. He kissed her cheek, her lips, as he entered her. The sharp inhale, flinch, into his mouth, nearly made him pull away. Fingers clawed his shoulders and forced him to stay.

"I'm fine, I'm okay," Anna Astor breathed, pulling her face back to show off a reassuring smile. The man held a sort of awe for her strength, thoughts drifting away as he pulled her body to his once more.

Anna was soft, curved. Joints still bony from shoulders to hips, with a new-found set of toned muscle beneath her skin. She still held the breath of a bird, licking, kissing his skin. So carefully he felt each twitch, grimace, holding himself back. Compared to her, he was a giant. His chest nearly twice the size of hers, limbs thicker, a foot longer.

The most blissful moments of her mornings were watching him stretch out of bed. Allowing a view of the defined muscles of his back, shoulders, each flexing with the way he moved. Hannibal's broad back and snaking spine were her favorite parts of his body.

The pleasurable groan escaping her lips pushed the thought aside as long, delicate piano fingers found the tip of her sex, drawing slow, lazy circles.

Her breathing had picked up dramatically, back arching with his touch. Anna kissed him, hard. He was barreling into her, restraint forgotten as his peak began to burn the pit of his abdomen.

"_Prasome, An-na, nagi. Ateik_." It was a deep-throated plea, even if she couldn't quite understand.

Soft arms wrapped around his neck, fingers in his hair. She hugged him close, regaining a moment of calm in her frenzied mind.

"_Hannibal, I love you._"

It was a release he had never experienced.

Her walls tightened around him as he filled her, burst his mind with colors and sounds and tastes. It was a broken dam, flooding the land with a water so cool and clean not a single creature could protest.

He did not pull away. She could not see his face. The horrifying fear of what her words could have caused cratered her chest like a thousand knives. He was trembling so terribly. Anna caught his cheek before pulling away as if truly stabbed.

Hannibal Lecter was fighting the weeping of his eyes, allowing only one to escape, caught on the tip of her finger.

"You silly man," Anna murmured, pulling his wide face to her chest, "What is wrong with you? Stop, stop. It's okay, everything is alright."

His large form collapsed to the side, curving to hers, head still over her heart. Fingers smoothed his hair, caressed his face. Softly, Anna began to sing the only lullaby she was sure her mother's voice once had.

Light and high-pitched, no louder than a whisper, did Anna sing _La Luciole_, a soft French melody.

His body gradually began to relax, lean against hers. The strong arms around her were warm, protective.

By the end of the last verse, Hannibal Lecter had fallen asleep.

She turned in his embrace, wrapped legs around one of his. He slept so soundly.

He was no more than a child in her arms, oblivious to the world and the walls he hid in by day.

For this one precious moment in time, he was just simply Hannibal.


	36. Chapter 36

Hello, I'm home! I left you all stranded for a whole week while I wasted away in Disney World! I am happy to be home, however. I hope never to leave you for so long again. I love all favorites, followers, and reviews! Thank you all so much for your fantastic support. Truly.

-M

* * *

Cursing, shouting, hitting.  
He was a man of strength, wringing her by the hair, slamming small bodies into walls. An angry drunk, cowering in the light of day, hidden in a suit and tie.

How many times had he slapped her hands when they hit the wrong note, smashed her face when a pirouette wasn't precise?

Mother mother, doing nothing. Silent to the rage, unwilling to help.

Standing, watching as her husband mercilessly beat her own daughters.

Summer would melt into fall, bruises lower, under high collars. Their outer shell was one of perfection: two straight-A daughters and happy foreign parents, working high-class jobs.

It all  
made  
her  
Sick.

Margaret, her beacon of light. Optimistic, bubbly. When she made friends they were real and true: they _cared_ for her.

Anna had no such thing. The people she knew were but acquaintances. Beings whom she used to get what she wanted, and nothing more. They were _pigs_.

_"You're late"_ His voice was low, deadly. The youngest sibling away at a friend's, leaving Anna to fend on her own.

Two dreamy eyes found his, smiling._ "I've been home all along, with mother. Would you like to see her?"_

Nailed to the wall by her hands.  
Scalped, chest skinned.

The horror pulsed through him, staggering.  
He turned.  
A knife fell swiftly into his torso.

_"She had no problem watching her children be beaten. Why shouldn't the same apply to you?"_

Three stab wounds were inflicted by the young teenager; through the chest, the pit of his stomach, finally forced into a thick, sweaty neck.

He fell dead, glassy eyes upon her.

Anna Astor did not feel the slightest guilt or sympathy.

Only pure, unadulterated bliss.

_"911, what's your emergency."_

_"H-Help, I came home and found my m-mom dead. My dad tried to k-kill me-"_

_"Where is your father now, ma'am?"_

_"…_  
_"I killed him."_

* * *

"It must have been very traumatic for you, Anna."

He watched the young woman lean in her seat, yawn. He crossed his legs as she glanced to the window.

"I suppose so. May I leave, now?"

"I'm afraid not, Anna." She hated how he said her name.  
As if she were a child, needing to be soothed. A sharp remark was on her lips before he broke in.

"They were not the first people you've murdered, were they, Anna."

Dr. Abel Gideon was pierced by feline eyes, thin smile faltering. "I don't know what you're talking about. My father butchered my mother, and I-"

"No. _You_ butchered your mother. Do not lie to me, Anna." Abel lifted a leather-bound notebook from a side table, scribbling notes. "You think you're alone. You think that it's a disease, what you do. It's not."

"I really have no idea what you're talking about," Her answer was so innocent, young. Abel Gideon flicked his eyes from the journal, slowly closing the pages.

He smiled.

_"Would you like to see the photographs of men and woman I've killed, Anna?"_

* * *

Run, run, run.

She would not escape.

Panting, stumbling.

The woman let out a shrill scream at the impassive, young woman towering over her. A man was slowly making his way to them, looking relieved.

_"P-please! What have I done to deserve this? Wh-what have I ever done to you?!"_

The brunette leaned low, hands on knees. Her head tilted, smiling pearls.

**_"My dear, you haven't done anything to us."_**

* * *

It spiked her senses like a high.  
She breathed deeper, saw clearer.

Anna Astor was alive, when a victim took their last miserable breath.

They were dirt beneath her feet.  
They _deserved_ what she so generously gave them.

They  
were  
Inadequate  
and  
Unnecessary  
Trash.

She would reincarnate famous murders simply to watch the FBI, police, fall over themselves in hysteria.

The woman cut in half, with the Cheshire smile. The prostitute strangled by her own undergarments, the eyelids cut from three different corpses, placed in the mouth of another.

It was a hot-blooded euphoria.  
It was her reason of existence.  
Her life was perfect.

And then it wasn't.

_"She wants to live with you."_

_"I have no qualities of a parent. I would ruin her."_

Cold grey eyes were on her, mouth a tight line. It did not sway her cordial, off-putting aura.

_"You are her only remaining family. I am willing to move in and work with you, but you must take her. She needs you, Miss Astor."_

It was a whining, blonde trouble. Crying at the break of dawn, sneaking into her bed halfway through the night. Constant attention, money, guidance.

Lily Astor was the worst thing to ever strike Anna's life.

She hated the snotty, pathetic child in her presence, the girl's very existence a pain in her side.

_"You can't possibly even think about killing that girl, Anna."_

Gideon held no sway over her, now. She was in too deep, too far gone.

_"She is your sister's daughter. Doesn't that mean anything to you now?"_

Anna Astor looked at him curiously, a slight smile turning those lips.

_"Why would it?"_

* * *

She had been drugged.

Her mind a blank slate, unable to remember. Blue eyes glanced to see a man watching her warily.

It was a patient of Gideon's, an unstable man who was drawn to the doctor like a moth.

Unintelligent, slow.

She killed him and felt the same flame of satisfaction, burying her hands into his chest.

She felt his heart beat one last time before ripping it to a stop.

_"Anna," The woman rose to her feet. Abel Gideon stood in the doorway, grave. _

_"Abel? Abel, why? We are the same. Of all people, you should understand how I need this. You can't ask a dog to change his spots any more than you can ask me."_

_"No," He answered, walking slow, steady, "I guess you can't."_

_Anna Astor looked to the bloody corpse, smiling fondly. _

_She turned, to recall a memory of another they had murdered together. _

_A sharp, quick pain caught the crook of her arm._

_Abel Gideon, remorseful, determined._

**_"You can't ask a dog to change his spots, but you can shave him clean." _**  
****  
_"Anna, Anna,"_

"An-na!"

She was hurdled into the present, convulsing, seizing. Bruises would form from the strong grip on her arms, forcing her still. Sobbing, gasping breaths rattled her, eyes blurred.

"I killed them, I killed them _all_."

It was an elegy of entrapment, a voice so alone and lost. It wounded physically and mentally, coursed through the air. Hannibal Lecter held her down by the shoulders, smoothed hair from her face.

"An-na, Anna, it's okay, it's alright. You must calm down."

The woman he once knew so well pulled her face away, placid.  
As if she had never felt sadness and torment to begin with.

Hooded eyes, a sneering mouth between trails of silver, looked at him not as Anna, but as someone new. She seemed amused by his comfort.

"Why, Hannibal. I **am** calm."


	37. Chapter 37

Star Trek: Into Darkness was so insanely good. If anyone can find a good Khan fanfiction with an OC character, please tell me so I can read it. I don't want to have to start one myself, because I love Hannibal too much. I love all reviews, followers, and favorites! The first look of the new Anna.

-_M_

* * *

Hot raindrops slipped across shoulders, welcoming fingertips. It was the personal shower of a Dr. Hannibal Lecter.

Everything was so new, unfamiliar.  
Pounding ears, chest, breath. All so alien.

It did not matter.

_I_ _was free_.

* * *

"How do you feel, An-na?"

His face was sharply angled, skin too tight across his broad cheeks. His suit was a tailored masterpiece, posture and voice articulate. Amusement pulled the drawstrings of her lips.

_This is the man I became so infatuated with?_

"Dr. Lecter, how fortunate I am to fully make your acquaintance. I feel perfectly fine, and you?"

The man crossed his long legs, head tilting like an attentive bird. Lips quite full and stout, for a man, curled. "I am quite well. What do you mean to meet me 'fully?'"

"You are certainly aware of my personality attributes. It is, after all, why you've taken an interest in me, is it not?"  
A slow smirk twisted one side of Anna Astor's mouth as his unwound. A plaintive innocence widened blue eyes. "Did you really think I wouldn't be aware of you, rifling in my files, pulling me from the hearth of Gideon's dirty little secrets?" She clicked her tongue, head shaking.

"It was _you_ who suggested my expertise for the Chesapeake case. Perhaps not to the FBI directly, but to Alana Bloom. You knew she would lead us to one another. You knew I had a hidden personality. All you had to do was figure out how to push the other part of myself to unlock it."

"Are you suggesting a split personality disorder, An-na?" Hannibal's voice, deep and calm, vibrated through her chest. Anna's jaw tilted with a scolding tease.

"You as an esteemed psychoanalyst would not believe in such a phrase. A Dissociative Identity Disorder, perhaps, but if anything, it was the self you helped me discard that was the façade." A wrinkle creased her forehead, eyebrows rising. "The self Gideon locked me in, to protect my niece and future…Ah, '_victims_,"

"If you had a Dissociative disorder, I do not believe you would hold the memories between that time and now. So tell me, what can you recall of the past few years?"

Every movement caught his attention. From the slight downturn of her face to the cat eyes so keenly watching him as well.

While he had unlocked a matching personality of his own, he had ultimately unfolded the many walls surrounding Anna Astor's own mind, pushing her still further away from him.

"I remember fragments. A voice, a smell," The woman paused, smoothly looked from his eyes to his lips and back. "_A kiss_."

A soft quiet filled the room, neither quite uncomfortable. A slow breath left Anna as she returned to her breezy, light aura.

"Tell me, Hannibal, were any of your actions genuine?"

"I do not understand your question-"

"_Hannibal_," His own name silenced him, the voice speaking still a smirk-mouthed smile. "You did exactly what you thought would make me want to remember my macabre ways. How you learned of them, I am still not quite certain. Was it simply the last act of ripping Andrew Rogers' heart out?"

He did not like being caught, even by her.

A vein grew prominent across his temple and his mouth pursed. "I was intrigued by your knack of cannibalism, and upon reading your psychiatric file felt a deeper conscious buried beneath the one you were currently in, yes. I was and am still not fully aware of all incidents before Rogers, however."

"You appealed to the innocence of my mind. You charmed your way in like a snake in the reeds, biding your time until I willingly surrendered myself," Anna sucked in a long breath, exhaling an open-mouthed smile. "You are _naughty_, Dr. Lecter,"

"You recall more than emotions, then," The psychoanalyst deduced from Anna's reiterated sentence. Instead of answering the woman stood, watching him closely.

She had found her clothing taking over half his closet, the familiar shampoo of her life in his very shower. Even if she could not recall every spectrum of memory from the past few years, months, weeks, it was obvious this man's involvement with her.

And, even if he was only playing her to reveal the darker substance within, it was a broad step to allow her so close, into his very bedroom.

Hands gripped the arm rests of his chair, back arched with her bent form.

Two bright, half-lidded blue eyes were before his, mouth tilted with the turn of her head.

Questions formed on the tip of her tongue, conscious, as he imperviously gazed back, unblinking.

Anna Astor smiled.

"There is no one in the world who will understand you the way I now can, Hannibal Lecter." It was a whisper warm on his skin, her eyes drawing from his lips to his eyes.

_"-But is this the Anna you really want?"_


	38. Chapter 38

Dark hair braided as a crown 'round her head, body a mix of sheer nude material and brilliant, shimmering gold leaves and embroideries, strapless and tight to her waist, falling out in chiffon ruffles.

The man who had led her to the opera was possessed by the music, swaying unconsciously. She had never noticed the slight silver gleam in his hair, caught in the light every so often, the protruding brow bones just millimeters above his eyebrows. Anna Astor watched him for some time.

Some time, until the unsettling stare of a squat man demanded her attention.

Every gesture he made mimicked Hannibal's, from his stark posture to the time he swallowed. He didn't even seem conscious of her notice of him.

The dark-skinned man beside him, however, did.

The shrill music stilled and in an instant Hannibal Lecter was out of his chair, clapping with such a force her ears rang. Blithely she joined him with dulled enthusiasm. An arm caught her waist lightly, felt her tense with his touch. Hannibal gave her a warm look, still effected by the siren's call. "Did you enjoy the performance?"

"Of course," Anna returned with the same feigned delight. "A certain gentlemen continued to draw my attention away, however. He seems quite…Infatuated, with you."

"Yes, he is a patient of mine," The tall doctor sighed, almost grave. Anna's brow raised, lips flat. "I am nearly regretful for having you accompany me because of it. Having him bodily witness you will only pursue him into obsessing over our very relationship."

"We are in a relationship?"

"I am aware that you remember a great deal of us, An-na. Do not feign ignorance."

"Forgive me, Hannibal," The brunette spoke with a opalescent smile, "-but I assumed our whole intimate relationship was a simple means of unveiling my inner horrors. You-"

"Kiss me," A wave lapped her ribs at his sudden request. Chocolate eyes were locked on hers, smile coy. Anna's jaw had went slack as she staggered.

"No."

"But you want to. You want to know how I crept my way into your mind. Allow me to give you a taste of just how enigmatic I can be,"

Blue eyes wary as long fingers grasped and tilted her chin. They never skirted from his own dark, unreadable orbs down to the middle sequence of the kiss, losing strength. The forgotten arm around her waist drew her to him until the expensive material of his suit slid against her skin.

When he had come so close to the brink of her conscious before, through intimate, personal moments, peeked into her past, a red-hot fire had seared her very core.

Now, it was much, much worse.

"Hannibal!"

Anna Astor was the first to pull away. A sneering inhale grimaced her lips, glaring at the impeding, handsome man. A smirk licked his plump mouth before turning to the intruder.

A ripened woman with hideous hair and make-up held a doll-faced expression, teasing the broad-chested doctor.

"I don't recall in all my years knowing you to ever have seen you with a date," The woman quipped. Her voice was nails on a chalkboard in Anna's pained ears. "And so beautiful, too. That is a remarkable dress. Who designed it, love?"

"I did," Anna answered with a bright smile. _'Apparently, I still waste time sewing.'_

"My god, it is a masterpiece. Do you own your own clothing shop?"

"Anna is actually a psychologist, like myself," Hannibal provided. His fingers drew small circles in the small of her back, emanating silent shivers through the skin. "I'm afraid to admit that her expert designing is a simple hobby for herself alone,"

"Such a pity. If you are anything like Hannibal, however, I'm sure the psychiatric field is blessed to have you," A braided crown charmingly ducked at the compliment. The woman's attention was suddenly pulled astray from the couple with the clearing of a throat.

"Hannibal, I believe this man is trying to get your attention,"

"Yes, I believe he is,"

The patient was short and round, with bright eyes and a sloppy smile.

The dark eyes of his friend, Tobias, followed Anna even as he spoke to Hannibal.

An unsettling nostalgic rose to her throat. Quietly, she excused herself to try and steal a visit with the performer of the night, wishing only to congratulate her on the perfect _vibrato_ of her voice. A solitary moment to catch the frantic memories still shooting like stars through her mind.

With a silent step, the dark-skinned man had followed.

"I'm afraid she's already left," Bony shoulders turned to his voice, eyes half-lidded. Tobias smiled.

"Such a shame."

"Indeed, it is," His voice sounded restricted, overly polite. It reminded her greatly of another cordial man. "I apologize if Franklin took away from your night. He has taken quite the…inexplicable obsession, with befriending Dr. Lecter." Tobias lowered his jaw to her, smile curling just a bit more.

"Curious though, that he has never mentioned you."

"Why would he? I have never been present during their sessions, nor am I a subject matter that Dr. Lecter would disclose to a patient."

"It isn't against a confidentiality code for a psychologist to speak of his own life. Unless, however, you are a patient of his as well."

Anna couldn't not fight her slight smile. "I am not."  
Tobias nodded. "I didn't feel that you were."

The woman was reminded suddenly by his quick glance at her, the way his arms moved. Lips lightly fell apart with her sudden murky recognition.

"…Have we met before, Tobias?"

At last a true grin blossomed his lips.

"I wondered if you would remember me from your NYCB days, when you were in your prime."

"…You were in the orchestra, for the ballet," Anna spoke slowly. How long ago was that, how old was she then? "I remember your eyes! You were such an attentive musician, my friend. A first chair player and soloist. On the…cello, yes?"

"Your memory does not fail you," He laughed, relaxed. Her posture remained straight and still, a perched bird ready to take flight. "You were the unstoppable dancer of the troupe. You put even the musicians to shame with your movement."

"Until it all came shattering down," Anna finished wistfully. The jovial mood slowly died with her comment, thought the woman showed no signs of resentment or ill will.

_Was it my wounded ankle, or the desire to kill had become too much to handle? Ballet, studying, and my extracurricular hobby. I hadn't the time to dwell on all three. In the end, it came between a ballet career or my lust for blood._

"I don't think it was your injury that outcast you from performing, so much as your sudden lackluster emotion for it," His words caught her off guard, a stone into the pool of her thoughts.

His brown eyes were unlike the one's of Hannibal. Lighter, clearer. Knowingly, he continued; "You no longer felt the craving for a theater's adoration. Your obsession had turned to something that provided more sustenance to you,"

"-I finished my schooling and moved into a more steadfast career. A woman is only beautiful and young for so long. And then one day, she is replaced."

It was a cold, Cheshire cat smile that pulled Tobias' lips. Anna Astor watched with an easy calm, hiding her genuine surprise of the man's true understanding.

"My dear sweet Anna, there will never be another who could hold a candle to you."

The nearly-scolding voice of Franklin resonated the air suddenly. The man and woman still preyed upon the other, unconscious of their surroundings. A large hand enveloped hers and finally Anna broke away, smiling dreamily to Hannibal.

"I'm suddenly so tired, Hannibal. May we go home, now?"

She glanced back only once, between their shoulders as they vacated the opera house.

Tobias was still watching her.

* * *

"He knows."

"Knows what, An-na?"

She sat upright in his passenger seat, chewing on her thumbnail.

_A mannerism of her other self. Perhaps she is not all lost._

"Tobias. He knows."

Startling eyes turned to him suddenly.

"He suspects you as well, I'm sure. We once performed in the New York Ballet together. Why would he not notify anyone in the last twelve years? And now, there's two of us."

"Perhaps you merely piqued his interest. One does not kill a song bird when it sings an unfamiliar tune,"  
Anna let out an exaggerated sigh, falling to the soft leather seat. The car pulled to a silenced stop before his house. She caught herself smirking.

"You promised me a taste of your charisma, and it did not disappoint."

Dark eyes drew her in, above the mild amusement of his lips. Anna Astor looked at him, brazen.

_"So, Dr. Lecter, what more do you have to offer?"_

* * *

Upon Hannibal Lecter's awakening the next morning, there were no signs of the woman ever having been in his home.


	39. Chapter 39

I enjoy this chapter. I hope you do too! I debated updating now, before work, or after. I decided before in case I receive any reviews! That way I can read them on my phone and hate my life a little less. I love all reviews, favorites, followers, Hannibals...Too bad I don't own any of them. I would settle for a Graham, even. Tsk.

-_M_

* * *

_I had not expected the reaction his body would have on me. _

_Every sense, every fiber of my being promised his apathy, that this was all just a continuous game of cat and mouse. _

_He never cared for me. He had done what he thought necessary to unlock my past._

_So why did he touch me so tenderly?_

_I expected rough, emotionless movement. An exercise of pure lust. _

_Instead I remained awake long after he fell to sleep, a heavy arm holding me down. His chest was warm and matted with hair against my spine, fingers grazing my navel, the thin slice of scar across my abdomen. _

_He whispered my name, just my name, in his sleep. _

_A soft-breathed plea, a sigh so aching. _  
_Emotional._

_It's just another act. A scheme, a plot. To break me down. _

_It worked. _

* * *

Alana Bloom stalled in Will Graham's doorway, eyeing the form leisurely making its way to the house. Cool black dress pants and stilettos, a crisp white button-down opened to the verge of her chest. The only familiar sight were the unadulterated waves of shiny, chocolate hair blowing through the wind her walk produced.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" Feline eyes found her and for a moment, did not register her face. Smoothly the look passed as if it never existed, a slyly pleasant expression rounding her mouth.

"Alana Bloom. Hello."

_'She is the doctor, the psychologist. A colleague of Hannibal's, a coworker of Will Graham under Jack Crawford._'

"You look…Formal," Alana managed, nursing a friendly smile. The woman glanced down at herself and shrugged. "I am comfortable in this. Is Will home, by chance?"

Alana's eyes averted so quickly. Her pallor was flushed as were her lips.

It wasn't hard to deduce the recent occurrences. A curly-headed, deranged man appearing behind them only helped fit the puzzle together.

"Will! I would have called, but I knew you had no lectures today," The cool scent of Anna filled Dr. Bloom's nose as she passed, leaving her alone on the porch. The usual so-flat voice had been rearranged with a strange tone, foreign. Alana turned in time to view Will's wide-eyed expression.

Tan fingers had uncurled onto his chest, like vines across his shirt. A look of disdain had wrinkled her nose. "This is a hideous shirt. I'm starving and thought we might go out for lunch together. You must change." Anna's little smile was teasing and light, catching Will's breath as she patted his cheek. "I think you would look much more handsome if you shaved. What to you suppose, Dr. Bloom?"

The forgotten woman blinked, fought the sudden urge to ball her fists and punch the stick woman with all her might. It was as if Anna knew her exact thoughts when she coyly smiled.

"I don't have a problem with Will's appearance. He's fine the way he is," The woman's words were uncannily light. It only bemused her further.

With the exit of Dr. Alana Bloom, Anna Astor's expression plummeted.

"I kissed her," Will blurted in a disbelieving tone. Anna fell into his desk chair, fingers raking through her hair.

"Yeah, I got that."

"I kissed her, and she told me we were incompatible. Which isn't necessarily untrue…" He was muttering to himself, pacing through the house like a paranoid cat. When he returned to the front room, dressed in a clean shirt and jeans, Anna was already leaning against the front door.

"What's with your outfit, anyway? I don't think I've ever even seen you in slacks."

Staring blankly out the window, a slight sickness on her face. She spoke the last words Will expected to hear.

"I slept with Hannibal Lecter."

* * *

Heather Rickley thought the new couple in her section were on a blind date.

The man sat hunched forward, ready to make a run for it at the drop of a pin. The woman, with the tight face and straight back, staring at the thick wedge of pie before her.

Grown adults, acting as awkward teenagers.

"Can I get you two anything else?" The voice was falsetto and slightly nasal. It seemed to shatter the still between the couple. The man shook his head as his date finally looked to the waitress.

No one had ever looked at her with the bone chilling hatred the woman cast her.

Staggering, she hurried away without another word. Anna Astor watched the receding figure impassively.

"Why did you leave?"

"Because. Because, I was not expecting my reaction after."

"You are…unwilling, to let him in."

"It is not in my nature to do so."

His scoffing laugh drew her immediate attention. Down-turned lips demanded an explanation. Will Graham shook his shaggy hair, finally meeting her bright eyes.

"Anna, you let him in a long time ago. Even Crawford recognizes you two as a couple. Why the sudden change?" The color of confusion in her irises struck him.

"…Anna, are you…Have you forgotten? Did something happen?"

"…People were publicly aware of our involvement with one another?"

"It isn't exactly a secret, Anna."

She clicked her tongue, head tilted. The woman once so adamant on eye contact kept her gaze from his. Her finger tapped tunelessly against the table.

"Alana harbors feelings for you. It is why I acted the way I did this morning,"

"You wished to produce…_jealously_?" He made it sound so dirty, absurd. Anna let loose a restrained grin.

"Do you think you're not worth getting jealous over?"

His answer was flat, instant. "**No**."

When those cerulean eyes rolled, mouth falling open, Will found the Anna Astor he knew once more.

"You give yourself so little credit, William. You're good-looking and brilliant. The whole lumberjack, professor, agent act is kind of sexy. You should exploit it."

"Lounds does that enough for me."

Anna laughed, rising to her feet with a discarded twenty dollar bill thrown to the table.

"Hey, at least she didn't peg you as the Chesapeake Ripper's love connection."

* * *

Heather Rikley left the suburban diner around eleven P.M. that night.

The chilling walk to her car was short but always fogged with a creeping fear. Once safe in the vehicle, the girl would finally relax.

Halfway home, the safe haven came to a shuttering halt.

Her cellular phone had disappeared. There was not a house in sight.

Further down the road, two headlights came apparent.

"Hey!" She shouted, waving frantically, "Please, stop!"

A gleeful jolt warmed her freezing face when the sleek black car stalled a few yards from her own.

"Oh my God, thank you so-"

Panic froze her words, falling to the ground like lead.

The woman from that afternoon, with the cold eyes and hollow cheeks, gracefully rose from the car.

"What seems to be the problem?" Her voice was smooth and clear, polite. Heather fought back the red hair whipping her face.

"My car just sort of took a shit, and stopped running completely." The woman had reached her, crouching to peer beneath her car. "Do you have a cell I could use?"

A soft laugh was just audible from the stranger. Carefully she stood once more, burying small hands into her jacket. "I'm afraid I don't. Your oil cap is missing, did you know?"

"My what?" The teenager asked stupidly. "Does that mean my car ran out of oil, then? Like the stuff I get changed?"

"More than likely, yes. Hence your car breaking down," Leathered fingers appeared once more, extended in her direction. "I'm Dr. Anna Astor. I believe you met me this afternoon. My waitress, Ms. Rickley, yes?"

"Just Heather is fine," Suddenly shy, shaking the woman's -Anna's- hand. "Do you think you could maybe give me a ride to the nearest gas station, or something? I promise you a free meal the next time you visit Gloria's Café."  
Her complexion matched that of her hair as Anna laughed.

"I'm afraid I found the food quite unpalatable, but I am flattered by the offer. I would be happy to drive you to a service station." Her rescuer swayed to the right, glancing over her shoulder to the open car door. "Is there anything you need from the deceased vehicle?"

"My purse!" Heather Rickley grinned at the odd, formal word choices, opposite of the brunette's kind smile. Heather pivoted quickly, bobbing down towards the driver's seat. "It has all my tips from tonight. Now I can thank you in person for the mega tip you left-"

She had straightened, not yet turned back to the Doctor.

Two long, wiry arms had glided underneath hers, snakes that slithered up past shoulders, fingers clenching great tufts of her red hair with an immense force thrusting toward her sternum.

With one sickening, vibrating crunch, Anna Astor snapped the girl's neck.

Falling back against her, unconscious. A deep, euphoric sigh escaped pomegranate lips.

_This_ is what she had missed most.

The sole moments of predator and prey, listening to the very last breath of the defeated, arms drawing lax from the hollow ivory throat.

With a steady inhale Anna lifted the teenager's legs, hoisting the full weight to herself and back to the purring car.

_"Hello, this is Dr. Lecter."_

_"Hannibal. Are we throwing your little opera friends a dinner party?"_

The reply was delayed, a great pause between the man and woman. Anna noted the gravel and concrete, the glimmering shower of snow just beginning to fall. There wouldn't be a trace of human tracks, nor a struggle. How could there be? It was a quick, efficient job done.

A teenager girl driving through forestry, alone and in the dark of night. She would be deemed a missing case, one that would never be solved.

_"It would certainly be rude if we did not, don't you agree?"_

_"I do, Hannibal,"_ Anna Astor let her lips draw a wide, excited smile. Trying to calm the adrenaline rush, closing her eyes and leaning against the headrest. The thinking, emotional evaluations of her and Hannibal, could wait. This is what she truly craved.

What she needed.

_"In fact, I believe I've just caught the inspiration for your first dish."_


	40. Chapter 40

There was nothing more arousing than watching her bring in vibrant organs to his kitchen, her coy little smirk twisting his gut.

She would not allow him to go with her. They went, retrieved, separately, still.

Her trust of him had left with the façade of the clouded-minded Anna.

His Anna.

Glimmers of her former self could be seen when she genuinely smiled, laughed. When he caught her with a witty remark, spotted an unguarded moment as she chopped vegetables.

An expert in his kitchen, never keeping still. She moved around his intimidating frame with ease, stealing utensils, ingredients from him with that same smirk on the corner of her lips. Desserts were her specialty, sprinkled with powdered sugar and candied meats.

Bent over the kitchen counter, pulling away the shot glasses laced with her handmade design. It left a cage of chocolate which she delicately filled with a whipped, half-frozen, raspberry-lemon custard.

The warmth of his long fingers, pulling her hips back against him, nearly made the chocolate cage topple.

"If that had broken, I would have been very, very upset with you," Anna Astor commented, balancing a whittled chocolate pick on her creation. Relief rushed through her muscles when she stood straight once more. "I wouldn't have had time to remake it."

"To destroy such an artful delicacy would have been a disgrace," The navy blue of her strapless dress turned to face him. Two pieces of sheer ocean material, together no thicker than his wrist, went over her left shoulder. It just matched the vest beneath his suit jacket. Anna took in a breathing sigh, leaning back against the counter. His fingers moved to the small of her back, pressed into her spine. "You have been avoiding me, _gana_ An-na."

Her nose wrinkled. "I've been busy. At the opera you told them I was a psychologist. Apparently, I've been acting as a…_pediatrician_?" The outer rim of her irises reflected the color of her dress, contrasting to the inner blue as she looked up at him. "The last I remember, I was under the apprenticeship of Abel Gideon, to take over his practice. Medical school was the safety net in the scenario that he was ever caught and said practice shut down."

"You suspected he would be caught, but not you?" Hannibal sounded amused. The brunette gave a humble shrug, hiding her pride.

"That is how it unfurled, isn't it?"

His chuckle was deep, resonating. Without her notice he had drawn closer, chest just grazing hers. Hannibal Lecter was a potent force in the small space Anna found herself in, radiating a palpable energy and sexual magnetism. The brunette shifted with her pounding heartbeat.

When he smiled at her, one more wall came tumbling down.

"They're arriving," Anna noted quickly, relieved by the sudden doorbell. Hannibal complied without a word, stepping away, watching her.

_It's just a sick game. He doesn't care about you. _  
_No one can._

* * *

She had brought him a dessert.

Arriving with the unpleasant news of another Crawford murder case, a covered plate in hand.

"Strawberry and raspberry _tiramisu_," Anna quipped with Will Graham's pleasurable groan. It made him that much more compliant to go with her.

"How did the dinner party go?"

"Quite well, actually. I didn't kill a single guest."

Will chuckled at her reply. Anna smiled, lips a little too curved. The night had been a huge success, every morsel devoured save the hidden plate for good Will.

They were a dynamic, charming duo; the perfect couple.

_"Why do you not simply stay? It's late. I do not like the idea of you driving on these frozen roads."_

_"I'll be all right. They aren't even that slick." Her voice was definite but not hard as she buttoned her peacoat. _

_Hannibal Lecter was watching her. _

_One lone, unwavering hand lifted and cupped his cheek. He saw her lips press together, swallow. _

_She didn't know him. She didn't know the man before her, and had lost the ability to trust. Putting faith in him could be the greatest fall. _

_"Kiss me," Anna spoke, regardless of thought. Hannibal needed no further instruction. _

_It lasted all of ten seconds. Ten perfect, confusing seconds. _

_He exhaled a sweet breath on her lips, and smiled._

_"Good night, sweet little An-na."_

"Ouch," The brunette commented. Will snorted, looking upon the stage filled with FBI workers and a single musician.

Or, rather, the now-musical instrument.

* * *

"-He spoke about wanting to cut a man's neck open and _play him like a cello_. And then they found a man, with his neck cut open and a _cello forced down his throat._"

Franklin was in distress, confiding in his psychologist. Hannibal tilted his head.

"Do I have to turn him in?"

"Do you have a reason not to?"

The man stared at the floor, thoughts almost audible as they turned and molded.

"I could be wrong: I'm _always_ wrong. It's not even the trombonist that really scares me. It's what he mentioned later."

The doctor had averted to his careful set of notes, quoting him. "What did he say, Franklin."

"…Tobias was…quite taken with the opera. For days he ranted about the beautiful performer, how she moved, her hair." Franklin scoffed, raising thick fingers to make quotations, "He said he wanted to '_cut her open and see if she was as golden on the inside as she was out_'." He stared at his shoes. "I thought he was talking about the opera singer. That's whom we went to see perform, right?"

Franklin looked to Hannibal Lecter, face pale and blank. "And then he said she looked wonderful in the gold leafing, though not as magnificent as her last performance in the obsidian, glossed feathers."

He had finally caught Hannibal's full, undivided attention.

The opera's singer was a full-colored dress of gold, but not of leaves.

Only an audience member had a dress of this description.

The man sat perfectly still as he sharply reiterated; "Feathers?"

"I know. I did some research as soon as we parted." The squat patient fiddled with an electronic tablet, holding it out to his psychologist.

A pale body of bone turned to profile, chest thrust forward, bird arms cast back, supinated. Her neck was a pale hollow, holding a defined jaw and curved, smooth lips. It was as if someone set a black and silver-streaked fire to her eyes, the same blend of color composing the crown knitted in dark hair and the lace, obsidian-feathered corset and stiff tulle-tarlatan skirt.

Anna Astor stood, tantalizing and enigmatic as Odile, the Black Swan.

"That's your girlfriend, isn't it? Anna Astor. Apparently she danced with the ballet Tobias used to play for. Did you know?"

"I was aware, yes," Hannibal fought to keep his voice impassive as he returned the tablet to Franklin. "Do you believe Tobias would harm Miss Astor?"

"I think he admires her. He didn't speak the way he did about playing someone's throat. He said it more…Passionately. Dazed, even."

_'Why would that not lead you to believe he's even more likely to attempt an act upon Anna, then?' _ Hannibal checked the time, stood up.

"I will keep a close eye on Miss Astor. Please, try not to worry yourself," It was a gentle dismissal. Franklin slowly made his way through the open door. Before he could say good-bye Hannibal had closed the door in his face.

It licked his skin, rose the hair of his arms, neck. A pursed mouth opened to let in a sharp inhale of breath, burning its way to his lungs.

Rage, stronger than anything he had felt in months, was filling his veins.

_Something must be done about Tobias Budge._

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/107593878570643733/


	41. Chapter 41

Sweet baby Jesus. I had an erotic dream which led me to create the dirtiest, kinkiest chapter in history. It'll be about ch. 43, I think. I'm pre-warning everyone now. I love all favorites, followers, and reviews! Anna's instability is drawing the attention of certain young men.

-_M_

* * *

"I don't understand. I'm the one who knows him: why am I not allowed to come?"

"Because I asked him to dinner, not you. This is a private meeting,"

Azure eyes squinted suspiciously. "Is it a date?"

"We are both male, An-na."

"Your point being?"

A conspicuous, brown-eyed gaze fixated on her, smug mouth fighting a smile. "You, of all people, should know I prefer women. Slender little left-handed women, with blue eyes and freckled ears."

A hand shot unconsciously into her hair, covering the little discolorations on her skin. _He notices my freckles?_ "Where else do I have them, great, observational Dr. Lecter?"

The cutting knife Hannibal was using gently landed on the counter before he turned, sizing up Anna's body. His lips produced a sucking noise as he thought.

"There is one here," He announced, two fingers hooking her black shirt and tugging. A brown speckle appeared above her right clavicle. "And two here-" Lifting her arm to show off the Gemini freckles planted in the crook of her arm. He suddenly fell to one knee, lifted her pleated mustard skirt. Anna jerked. Hannibal had caught her right thigh, skimming the soft inner skin. "Three here. A little triforce, if you will"

He rose once more, carefully untucking her form-fitted top from the skirt's waist. Two thumbs smoothed either side of her navel as Hannibal located the last two.

"There are several more on your back. I will locate them for you at a later time, perhaps." His gaze was caught by her bare skin, rubbing slow, methodic circles with his thumbs. Anna watched him curiously.

"I cannot think of an alternative motive for knowing my body so well, Hannibal," His eyes were still upon her belly. "You won't kill me, and even if you tried, knowing my skin marks wouldn't really change anything. So why take such scrutinizing notice?"

Anna couldn't recall ever seeing someone with such kissable lips as she watched him turn over her question. Like a pouting child or baby duck, naturally pursed, taunting. They drove her crazy. Hannibal inhaled a great breath, meeting an aqua gaze with a light smile. "I am simply a master observer, you said so yourself."

He had taken either side of her waist in his long hands, leaning her towards him. A scheme tickled her mind and she did the same, closing the short space between them to cup his firm backside. His gaze darkened with her grin. "Let me stay."

"I'm afraid not," To her surprise, Hannibal pulled his face away when she tried to kiss him. The look of disdain she harbored made him smirk. "As you've told me countless times now, this is something I must do alone."

"Allow me to stay, and we can go out together, next time. It will be well worth it,"  
Anna bargained.

She didn't even really care about Tobias and the dinner party. It simply killed her to be told she _couldn_'_t_ do something.

Especially when it concerned the good doctor.

He took her face in one hand and kissed the very tip of an upturned nose. Firmly, he answered.

"No."

Her huff, the way she swatted his hands pulling her shirt back into place. It was a familiar essence of Anna. "You are not all lost, are you."

"I don't recall ever saying I _was_, _dailus_ Hannibal," Blue orbs trained busily on straightening her clothes. "I told you before I remember the important instances from the past few months and years. I remember Will and Crawford, and you. I remember kissing your heart and listening of your Lithuanian past," Anna's keen eyes found his at last. "I remember your sister Mischa."

They were at his front door. Snow had began to fall once more. The smug expression kissing her lips was met with a face colder than she expected. Hannibal appeared restrained, forcing a thin smile.

"You claim that every moment between us was an act, An-na. That I never held feelings for you. But I never lied. Every word I spoke was true. Can you honestly say the same?"

Anna was speechless, gaping like a fish as he opened the large, ornate door.

"It was not me who was pretending, nor am I the one running away. It's you,"

* * *

He had said enough to keep her away.

They were cold, harsh, but necessary.

Tobias Budge arrived shortly after Anna's departure, smile rapt.

Hannibal knew he had so delicately slaughtered the trombonist. Tobias was quite aware. Franklin had delivered the message astutely.

The slip-up of mentioning Anna Astor, however, was unexpected.

"What emotion do you harbor for Miss Astor, Tobias?" Tone casual, sipping wine. The sudden tense quirk through the dark-skinned man did not go unnoticed.

"…I always suspected her, of being something more than she showed us. Over a decade has passed, and the foreboding feeling still remained. And then I followed her as I did you," Light brown eyes watched Hannibal pause mid-drink.

"Anna could give you a run for your money, Dr. Lecter. The way she moves, as graceful as a feline. There is hardly ever a struggle when she murders, because they never even see her as a threat." He cut through his entrée, breezy. "It only makes her that much more perfect."

"Franklin mentioned you wanting to cut her open. Surely, this is a metaphor." The doctor stood, turning to a wine cabinet. Tobias made his own way over, leisure in step. "The way you are speaking, it sounds like you are more along the lines of being in love with An-na,"

"And you're not?"

Hannibal Lecter slowly closed the cabinet doors.  
Staring at Tobias, impervious eyes, mouth.

"I am. Which is why I cannot allow you to pursue her."

* * *

It was more than he had ever admitted, even to himself.

"Ah, but I know you, Hannibal. I understand you, because we are one in the same. We aren't capable of love, any doctor will tell you so. Infatuation, obsession, perhaps, but love?." A dark finger ran across the rim of a wine glass. Tobias looked up with a smirk. "That would make us much more than what we are. A new, evolved breed."

"There is no us, Tobias. I don't want to be your friend." The doorbell rang before Hannibal could say any more. He wasn't expected company.

As Hannibal left the room, Tobias asked one more question, speaking to the wide sprawl of his back.

"Do you really believe you could _stop_ me from taking her from you?"

* * *

_Knock. Knock knock knock knock knock knock-_

The door fell away from the relentless beating. A wild-eyed man glared out. Hissing words warmed his throat to tell off whoever thought one in the morning was a good time to visit.

A tawny, lanky-limbed woman with no coat and wide bright eyes stared back.

"Hi," Anna greeted breathlessly. Will Graham stared at her in utter confusion, annoyance still nagging his tired brain. Pearly teeth grinned sheepishly as she held up four shoes with silvery blades. "I…Do you…Want to go ice skating?"

"Do you know what _time_ it is? Where is your jacket?" He grabbed a frozen bird arm and yanked her in. "It's freezing out."

He sat her on a stiff couch, throwing a flannel blanket around her shoulders. "You're like ice," Will muttered. Frozen hands disappeared in his as he rubbed them.

Anna was staring at their hands. She blinked.

The look she cast him was furrowed, surprised. In an amused sort of voice, she confessed; "I trust you."

Curly hair lifted abruptly. In his hurry to the door he had forgotten his glasses, blearily watching her with no protection.

His eyes were a murky sort of blue; lighter than she realized.

"Why on earth would you trust me, of all people? I'm insane, remember?"

Anna laughed softly. She looked at the skates now sitting in her lap, gleaming in the dim light. "You're insane, and yet I'm the one who came knocking on your door in the dead of night, wanting to go ice skating. At least you know who you are." Blue eyes stared blankly at his chipped, water-stained coffee table. "I live day to day, wondering who I'll wake up as."

A broken silence fell over the room. Finally Will stood, returning with a tumbler and a half-empty bottle of bourbon whiskey. He poured the glass three-fourths full and planted it in front of her.

"Drink," He ordered, "I'm going to scrounge up some clothes for you to wear. Hannibal would behead me if I let you catch pneumonia and die,"

At the sound of that name, Anna Astor picked up the glass and swigged. In three painful, burning swallows, the golden liquid disappeared. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. It was a wonder how Will _didn't_ sleep, having this kind of liquor lying around.

"Alright, I got a flannel, an extra coat, a hat, gloves, and the smallest pair of jeans I could find," Graham stated, making a messy pile on the couch beside her. He in turn had changed into thicker clothing, a hat forcing his shaggy hair down. Anna's questionable gaze went from the pile to his scruffy, almost optimistic face. He seemed quite proud of his findings.

"We're going ice skating?"

"It's what you wanted to do, right?"

Anna smiled. As she stood hands pulled down her skirt, kicking it off with one ankle. Will's face turned a distinct shade of red before he pivoted.

"You could warn a guy, first."  
"I'm sure it's nothing you haven't seen before."

In less than two minutes Anna Astor was buried in clothing, pant legs rolled twice, sleeve falling off one shoulder. Will couldn't stifle a grin before she dashed to the door. "Come on!"

* * *

Her grace followed even to the frozen water, confidently holding his hands with a teasing, lopsided smile.

"It's not rocket science, Will."  
"I think I'd prefer that over this."

He fumbled in the moonlight, gripping her tightly as he trotted over the slippery surface. Anna's laughter was deep and free, nearly obnoxious. Will broke out into another grin. He had forgotten about the alcohol he'd made her consume.

"Okay, okay, I got this," His frosted breath promised. Anna easily slipped to his side, only holding his right hand. "Have you skated before this?"

"I think so, yes. In fact it's the only memory I have where my father and I got along," Blue eyes stared up into the starry night. Her skin seemed alabaster in the natural lighting of the sky. "I was so mad about something. I can't even remember what. I was only sixteen or so. He drug me out to the frozen lake in the town's park and taught me how to skate. We went around and around for hours, until I thought I would die from exhaustion and hypothermia. I didn't care. In that moment, I was perfect."

Anna Astor was like the moon herself - part of her always hidden away. She smiled at him suddenly, crossing her arms and taking his. "Spin," Anna demanded.

Together, a whirlwind of color and chestnut hair. Her screaming laughter was soon joined by his, hazy world forgotten.

In those few moments of the night, Will Graham and Anna Astor were infinite.

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/107593878570461342/


	42. Chapter 42

**You should read this. It's important this time.** As mentioned last chapter, I've feverishly created a racy, sex chapter. I mean really racy. So if that is **not your thing, don't read it. **I would love opinions on it, however. So please leave me some reviews of your feelings about such a chapter. I enjoy every opinion, favorite, and follow. Thank you so much!

-_M_

* * *

She had been brooding.

The memory of her abduction under the authority of an Abirad Caldwell, former husband of a deceased patient, had appeared in the form of a nightmarish dream, ending with the execution of her rapist with the help of a handsome, sinister doctor.

_What is his new wife's name? Clarence? Clarice? Caitlin?_

A sharp, sudden pain tapped her temple.

And then there was only darkness.

* * *

"I'm not going to hurt you. This was the best way to transport you here."

_Oh, not this shit again._

Anna Astor breathed in a conscious breath, vision blurred. Slowly the stony room came into focus.

Tobias Budge stood before her, expression pleasant. "Good afternoon, Anna."

"Where're…Why…" Anna swallowed, closed her eyes. A dull ache was still pulsating her temple. "Why did you knock me unconscious?"

"To keep you safe."

An incredulous face peered up at him. The musician let out a small sigh.

"I tried to reason with Dr. Lecter, bargain. He would have nothing of it-"

With her mind clearing, the woman began to take in their surroundings. It was a large, uniform basement she found herself in, with strings of what appeared to be skin of some kind hanging, drying.

So. Tobias really was the cello killer.  
Or, rather, trombone killer.  
Anna didn't really see the point of getting technical.

Brown eyes were fixated on her apathetic face. She didn't appear the least bit impressed with his masterful work.

"I've watched you for some time, Anna. From the moment you joined NYCB, I knew you were meant for greatness. Funny how your leading competition had an untimely death of a relative a week before your audition."

Thin lips smiled cheekily as she crossed curved legs. Tight bindings held her wrists, locked behind the cushioned seat. Innocently, she answered; "Accidents happen."

"Her uncle was found, eyes gouged out and hanged by his own braided small and large intestines."

"I thought you would appreciate that, seeing as how you now use them for your precious musical strings," Anna replied.

There wasn't the slightest remorse, panic about her. She knew fully well what she had done and the affect it had, nor did she seem worried over her current predicament. Tobias felt a surge of appreciation for the woman.

"_That_ is why I brought you here. Together, we can spread our philosophies to this disgraced world." The man was before Anna on his knees, looking at her with such a hopeful, euphoric high. "_Together_, we can eradicate this home of _pigs_,"

"You said you tried to bargain with Dr. Lecter. What did you mean by that?"

"Ah," A lone hand brushed the escaping bangs from her forehead. It sent a wave of disgust through her. "I tried to bargain our friendship, over _you_. Can you believe, Anna, that he admitted to being in love with you?"

Her roaring laughter was the last thing he expected.

It nearly split her cranium into halves, the ardent pain from the previous blow pulsating like a living creature. Hot tears pricked lash lines as Anna tried to control herself, giggling.

"Tobias, you cannot expect me to believe that, can you? Look at me," She still breathed gasping huffs through a smile, eyes bright, alive.

"I am a _murdering_ _psychopath_. I killed my own _fucking parents_. Don't look at me like some exotic bird, you stuck-up, beauty-fed _fool_. I am a _known cannibal_."

It was burning her throat, her ribs; the ecstasy of admitting aloud her horrors, the very reasons that made her next statement true in her ears.

"I am a corrupted, unlovable _monster_ of a woman, the very essence of what parents scare their children with," Anna's laughter died to chuckling, looking into the wide eyes of Tobias. "And you expect me to believe Hannibal Lecter is in love with me?"

"Yes,"

It was as if he hadn't heard a fucking word she said.  
His death would be slow and painful, when he so foolishly released her.

"It takes one to know one, does it not?" Tobias' comment rang a far off bell in her mind. _Did I say that before? Was it to Hannibal?_

Because being how she was now,  
and knowing how Hannibal Lecter was himself,

Perhaps they weren't quite so different after all.

Tobias's shining smile hurt her brain. "In any case, you will have to stay here while I dispose of some loose ends. I-"

The sweet notes of a true bell just trickled down the basement stairs, notifying a customer. Before he had time to stop her, Anna Astor screamed.

The woman was quickly silenced with a blow to the cranium once more.

* * *

_"Anna?! Anna!"_

The shouting of her name, the sonic boom of a gun shot, awoke her haywire senses. _I know that voice._

"Anna," It was calmer now, close. Aqua irises met that of Will Graham, head lolling back. She let out a tired groan. "Will. Will, I think this guy's the trombonist killer,"

"I'd have to agree," Cutting her hands free, Anna Astor staggered to her feet. "Where is Tobias?"

"He got away."

"Shit," Anna breathed. _Hannibal_.

* * *

"I was looking forward to that."

Glass eyes stared endlessly to the ceiling, spine broken by the capable hands of Hannibal Lecter.

"I saved you the trouble."

The intruder stood not three feet away, smug.  
"And where, pray tell, is your lovely significant other?"

The sudden panic in his placid eyes, the fear swallowing his soul wholeheartedly.

It was almost endearing to Tobias Budge.

"She seemed quite astounded at the thought of someone loving her. She thinks it impossible. That she's tainted," Thin wires came from his well-tailored suit, glistening in the air. Thick lips sneered teeth. "But don't worry. I'll see to the healing of her poor, wounded heart and mind after you've been correctly dealt with."

Perhaps it was his age, or the uncontrolled emotions hazing his mind. The fight proved more difficult than he anticipated either way.

Tobias had pinned Hannibal to his very own desk, plundering for the kill. Oxygen was not correctly filing through his brain, his lungs.

It was then that brown eyes caught the slim figure edging through the door, silent as the snow.

A gasp let loose spittle, wetting Hannibal's face. The long wooden hook of a cane had caught Tobias by the throat and twisted him to the ground.

Anna Astor stood, breathing through an excited, pearly smile.

"Have I missed the party? Either you or Hannibal killed that fat man over there, meaning your death surely belongs to me,"

"Anna," Tobias sounded hurt, though not hesitant to steady himself back on long legs. Her silken head tilted, watched him. "You don't have to do this."

"Oh, Tobias. I don't have to - I _lust _to,"

Hannibal was still breathing, regaining control. His hair was at a disarray and blood trickled from his lips, but he was alive. It was enough to soothe her frenzied mind. The woman lent another, pitying smile to Tobias Budge.

"It takes one to know one; you said so yourself. But when it comes right down to it," Anna Astor leaned in, breathed, "_You don't have what it takes_."

Her body was a streamlined flash, speeding towards him. With animal-like grace her torso disappeared, face against her left ankle as she kicked him with her right. Tobias staggered and in an instant Anna had risen, jumping up, kicked him with the full force of both legs. She landed on her back for only a moment, hands pressed to the ground on either side of her head. With ease she cast herself up once more.

Anna's clenched fist missed by mere centimeters. A cratering force smashed into her jaw. She stumbled after the punch before ducking, forcing the heel of her hand up through his nasal passage. Tobias screamed. Blood splattered Anna's face and a wave of excitement pulsed through her veins. _There is nothing greater than this, more sublime. This is my purpose in life._

Hannibal Lecter watched in an aroused fascination as the agile woman inflicted a curb-stomp action upon one of Tobias' knees, another agonizing roar tearing out of his mouth. The leg bent in, broken, as pliable as a tree limb. Two elegant hands caught his falling face, drew back, and bashed his skull with her own.

The thick, perfect thud of a cast iron figure breaking Tobias Budge's skull set off Anna Astor in ways she only dreamed of.

Her journey here had been provided by sole instinct. Stealing Will Graham's car keys, barreling to Dr. Lecter's psychiatric office.

Since her awakening, she did not believe the feelings that still warmed the pit of her stomach.

She could not love. She was not _fit_ to love.

And yet, when she imagined her life without him, without Hannibal,

It had been the most unbearable, torturous feeling in humanity.

"An-na-" Arms caught Hannibal's neck and twisted like vines, tapering words with the sheer force she crushed him with. He could feel the quick, hard breaths stuck between her ribs, the clench of her fingers within his hair. Anna pulled away suddenly, checking his body over. "An-na, I'm _fine_, let me see your face-"

For once she did what was asked of her. Standing perfectly still, letting his long, delicate fingers graze over her skin.

Cerulean orbs met their chocolate counterpart. Hannibal hovered, unsure of what to say. His hand still held her jaw. Gently he kissed her cool, bleeding forehead, each closed eye. Her head finally rested against his chest, safe in the strong arms of Dr. Lecter.

"Do you really think we're meant to be together?" Anna asked Hannibal.

"Yes," He replied.

Will came, Crawford, police. Dr. Lecter and Astor sat side by side, filed reports, answered questions.

Anna leaned against his ample frame for support. Hannibal sat straight; her relentless fortress. He held her hand, rubbed his thumb into her soft skin.

He could deal with the interrogations, even the new suspicion aroused in Crawford. It seemed so minimal compared to what he had gained.

Anna Astor had returned to him.


	43. Chapter 43

**This is an M-rated chapter. Caution. Caution.** I wrote this about three days ago, and enjoyed doing so. It might be extreme for some people, hence the multiple **cautions****_._**But I am always blissful when I find these kind of chapters in the stories I read, so took a crack at it. Please give me your thoughts and opinions. I love all reviews, favorites, and followers. Thank you all for your support.

-_M_

* * *

"I feel foolish for taking all my clothes home, now."

She sat, crossed-legged on his lush bed, garbed in a soft grey T-shirt bearing the name of his University school. A sloppy mess of brown hair sat atop her head and she wore only thin, leopard print panties lined in crimson lace below the waist.

Hannibal fought a smirk.

"I don't mind lending you my clothes, though you look quite…Teen age."

"Teenage? That's a shame. I was really hoping you'd want to have your way with me tonight," Anna Astor let out an exaggerated sigh, falling back into the pillows. "Oh well,"

Hannibal continued to move about the room. Skin still moist from a shower, towel around his waist. Anna quickly rose when he opened a drawer and threw his towel over a chair, standing completely nude.

How had she ever even attempted to turn this down?

"You know, if you prefer to sleep as God created you, I wouldn't really have a problem." She offered generously. Her mischievous smile emanated a throaty chuckle from the man. He slid on a pair of grey sweatpants, much to her dismay. "An-na, you're making me blush."

She wondered when he ever worked out, went to the gym. _'There was no way he just looks this good naturally.'_ Anna fought the urge to bite her lip as Hannibal turned. He looked even better without any clothes on; she could see just how fit he was, how strong his shoulders were. How perfectly his biceps and ass flexed with the slightest movement.

_I'm not going to get any talking done. I'm going to melt into a puddle and he's going to lap me up like a dog. And then when he's finished, I'll just blissfully die._

"An-na?" Hannibal had sat on the bed, mirroring her posture. Cheeks hollowed as she sucked in a cool breath, putting a lid on the crazed hormones for the time being.

"My father was a raging alcoholic, and a coward. Perhaps not to the extent my mother was, but one just the same," Brown eyes had that psychiatric glaze coating, causing Anna's lips to grimace. "I don't need you to evaluate me, Hannibal. I just want you to listen."

"I will try," He vowed, "Though it is hard to separate myself from my profession."

"It is all that I ask, if you try. Olivier Astor, married to Éponine Morel, at the age of twenty-three. Several years later they moved to the United States, where my sister and I were born. My mother hoped the new frontier would brighten their lives, better their luck. She was mistaken.

"In America, people were not as offended by public drunkenness. They did not ask as many questions. So, naturally, my father's drinking increased." Anna's voice was light, unbothered. Retelling a boring day in her life. Dark eyes had lowered to her chest before flicking to hers. With his usher she moved closer only to have him gently press her into the pillows. It was as if she were on the layout couch in his office, Hannibal sitting on the edge next to her.

"In the beginning, perhaps, my mother tried to keep us away from him. _Go play outside, girls. Go to your room, girls._ A few punches to her temple stopped that easily. Because if he had us to play with, he didn't harm her. So she gave us up to him.

"Margaret was very unlike me. I did not have the mentality to be around people I loathed. I felt no need to make and hold friends. The first person I ever killed was a boy that took the subway with me every day. I was fourteen. Several months later, a homeless man who lived four blocks from our home disappeared. Two years later, I cut open my mother's chest and nailed her to a bedroom wall. Quite Christ-like: a final sacrifice for her children. My father didn't seem to understand as well as I hoped. I've always regretted the quick way I finished his life. In self defense, of course."

"Do you think this is why you kill? Because of your parents?"

"Don't be silly," Anna snorted. Piano fingers were circling dangerously close to sensitive territory. An index finger hooked underneath the scanty underwear, brows raised, mouth passive. A dark head tilted as she raised off her hips. Hannibal yanked the thin material away, hardly hiding the delicious smirk when her bent leg rose, foot on his shoulder. Those fingers began to crawl at her once more.

"-I'm not even sure I would call it killing, what we do. It's art. Killing sounds so banal." Anna's breath caught as a thumb found her clit, rubbing slow, rhythmic circles. Adjoining fingers were discovering the folds beneath, petting her sex. With the cut of her words the movement faded. Hannibal frowned.

"You were saying?"

_Oh, this will be maddening._

"I hate banality. My earlier work, as a mimicking killer, reenacting famous crimes, might seem insipid, but I didn't think so at the…time." She allowed a tight-lipped smirk to curl her lips, using all her might not to wail out. Two skilled, confident fingers had pushed into her, pumping at a snail's leisure pace. _This is torture. This is just plain cruel._

"W…Watching the detectives topple over themselves in confusion was some of the greatest fun I've ever…had. Who would suspect the young woman helping see to the rehabilitation of the victim's f-families?"

For the first time since he began, Hannibal looked away from her strained blue eyes. Puckered red lips were a sinful smile as he glanced between her legs. "You're so pink, and soft, An-na. Tell me, how much longer do you really believe you can hold out?"

Pearly gleams fought to hide behind her lips in a grimace, breathing heavily through her nose. She was clenched around his fingers greedily, hips now shamelessly rising to meet him. Anna jumped when a warm hand slithered up her skin, into the grey shirt. It found its destination, tenderizing a heavy breast until it was overly sensitive, swelled.

Heat licked her abdomen with the words he breathed into the hollow of her cheek, the built-up, tight tension inside her breaking loose. "I go hard just watching you. Imagine what will happen when I am finally _inside_ you."

Anna Astor let her head fall back, breathing out a relieved, tantalized sigh as the delicious feeling rolled through her, muscles a spasm of oversensitive buds. The pause lasted only a moment.

"_Hannibal_!" Her limp body had been yanked to where the man once sat, now kneeling on the floor. Chocolate eyes watched her dangerously. Tan, curved legs were thrown over the muscular, perpendicular shoulders of Hannibal Lecter.

"No, Hannibal, I can't-" Words failed as a hot, wet mouth found her cleft, fluttering between the two swollen lips. Her body writhed. Fingers tore at the silky bedspread of warm browns and gold's, fighting cries. The hunger had returned with a vengeance; more powerful than the first time. Two hands pushed at her thighs, separating her to their limits. A velvet tongue sauntered across her exposed sex, lazily circled her clit.

"_Christ_, H-Hannibal," It was a mewing pant at his decadent licking, relentless. Her body quaked, boiling over, tender. The deep-throated growl he released was enough to set Anna over the edge. Gasping his name again, climaxing.

Fingers caught her hair at the nape, careening her jaw to the headboard. Smiling lips kissed her skin delicately. His breath was ragged against her as well. "I love hearing my name come from your lips, _gana An-na_."

Dark lashes were blissfully closed, breathing through an open mouth. Hannibal watched her with wicked amusement, lying turned to her supple form. Startling eyes opened suddenly. The triumphant expression on his sharp, Lithuanian face both turned her on and annoyed her. "Take your pants off. _Now_."

He followed her command, stood, cast them off beside the bed. Anna rose to her knees and slipped out from the large grey shirt before releasing her wild hair from its restraint.

Her gaze was sultry, excited. Heavy breathing had began to calm as she smoothed her hands across his wide expanse of chest, clawed into his clavicles. Her spine bent to see his face from the height difference. A hard, heavy erection brushed against her, demanding attention sooner than later. Anna's brunette head tilted, smirk on the corner of her mouth. "Why do I feel like you've done this so many times before?"

"You will be the first to ever have the ability to return, after. Or stay through the night," Hannibal answered with a smirk of his own. Anna's fingers circled his thick cock, noticing the slight twitch near his temple.

"Did you ever let them touch you back, or lead?"

"_No_."

It was a repulsed answer. Anna did not stop the growing momentum of her hand, rubbing him. A slickness had been produced and she languidly swept it around.

Nimble fingers rose to a pink mouth, and sucked them clean.

"Sit down, it that chair." Anna commanded. Stormy eyes glared at her. With a certain sluggishness Hannibal sauntered to the low, armless seat. Anna greedily watched his bare backside before following him over.  
A deft leg draped over his lap and she hovered, straddling his waist. Her hooded blue orbs maintained eye contact, lightly grinning as she taunted his mouth with hers. Leaning in only to brush away by centimeters, smirking when he took the bait. Forceful hands gripped her hips.

"Isn't as fun, hm?" Anna murmured. Her fingers felt cold as they gripped his erection once more, spider legs as they ran the length of him. Anna could just reach the ground with her toes, helping hold her weight as she directed the crown of his cock into her. Hannibal inhaled sharply through an open mouth and Anna gradually lowered herself, inch by inch.

Anna released her full weight, buckled against his thighs, with the sudden taking of his lips with hers. The hands so tightly gripped on his biceps moved to his shoulders, tickled the downy hair at the nape of his neck. A growl vibrated from his throat to her mouth, tongue sliding across her teeth.

She had chosen the chair, the position, because of the closeness. Eye to eye, face to face. Hannibal Lecter was slowly losing control with the rocking of her body, directing the growing rhythm by the bones of her hips. Fingers raked through his long hair, smoothed it away as she kissed his face, licked the shell of his ear. He wrapped an arm across her waist to hold the other side, freeing a hand to tease and plump her breasts. Easily he held her weight as she tilted back by his gentle force, kissed down her chest. Anna steadied herself by gripping his knees, letting out a suppressed moan with the new position of him inside her sensitive muscles.

It was too much. She couldn't take it.

"_Hannibal_," It was primal, rugged. He couldn't fight the white grin cracking his face as she lurched forward, pulling him as close as possible. Sweat dripped from their joined bodies, steamed and slick. He cupped her thighs and thrust, nailing the one spot that was in desperate need for his touch. "_Hannibal_."

"_Kristus_, _An-na_," Her melting core tightened around him, accepting the orgasm he left her with. His head lolled at the release, haggard breath cool on Anna's fevered skin, eyes locked on hers. Hannibal could feel her quake with the same delicious surge, chest pressed to his. He just caught the long spine falling away when she threw her head back and moaned.

She was boneless putty as he lifted her, carried her to the luxurious, puffy bed. Yanking blankets away he placed her against cashmere sheets, spreading her knees with his arm.

That had been for her benefit. He had allowed her the upper hand, something he admitted to being uncomfortable with.

This, however, would be _his_ reward.

A breathy, carnal command left her ripe lips, hissed with a lust so tangible he could taste it; "_Fuck_ me, Hannibal."

His frame swallowed hers, every flexed muscle caught by glistening sweat. It made her that much more aware of him, every sensitive caress and lick eating away her mind like a swarm. His lips bruised hers with a passion that made her want more, and she bit the edge of his upper lip, sucked in the tip of his tongue. The hands tantalizing her breasts moved into each curve between her ribs before tickling her stomach. Hannibal pulled away suddenly, leaving her damaged and cold. Anna nearly cried out with the sudden abandonment.

The lonely wavering moment lasted all of five seconds before he thrust into her like nothing she'd felt before.

Hannibal's smooth, always-impervious face was strained, skin pulled tight as he let out a stifled moan into her neck. Anna's own breathy gasps hardened him further. "An-na, you're so snug and warm. Do you have any idea what your body does to me?"

Her legs had locked over his hips, welcoming the hands fully cupping her backside. Anna couldn't produce words through the thick, heated moans falling out of her lips. Hannibal was as ruthless as history would suggest, ramming into her from crown to root, unforgiving. He lifted her by the hips to meet his thrusts, the head of his cock stroking over and over the very spot that ached most for it.  
Nails dug into Hannibal Lecter's back as Anna Astor cried out, brinking the immeasurable climax that riddled her body. It was the strongest yet, leaving her giddy and used to the edge of no return. A delicious wave of heat exploded within her, blood pounding through her ears.

"_Oh_, _Anna,"_ His head fell back uncontrollably to groan, pumping against Anna's lithe body as he came long and hard. A forehead slick with sweat graced her shoulder, hot, gusting pants on her skin. Forearms slipped under her biceps, sticky against her ribs, just barely keeping his full weight from pummeling down on her. Anna's chest beat against his with the heavy breaths she stilled breathed. After a pregnant moment Hannibal pulled away, rolling to lie on his back beside her. Chocolate eyes remained closed until the strange, repeating noise caught his attention. His face turned, only to find Anna laughing beside him.

"What?" Hannibal asked, unable to stop the tired smile curving his mouth. Anna's chest, still beaded with drips of shimmering sweat, was shaking with her laughter, eyes crinkled and teeth shining. He rose to one elbow, looking down at her with amusement.

"I don't…even know, I just can't-stop…laughing," She smiled up at him with the utmost attempt to stop the giggles escaping.  
Hannibal's unguarded smile helped sooth them as his fingers brushed dark tendrils of hair away from her face. "I enjoy your laugh. It's charming."

"It's obnoxious, and you know it." Anna still chuckled, marine eyes closing with a content smile. Her arms cradled her head. "But thank you, for pretending. Very chivalrous and Hannibal-like of you,"

"I never denied its…required taste, but I enjoy it nonetheless. It always comes as a surprise when you let it loose."

"I'm glad I can surprise you then, Hannibal. There's not much that could, I don't think."

"Are you easily surprised?"

Dark lashes nearly touched her still-flushed cheeks as she smiled. "I wouldn't say so, no. Though you make it a game to prove me wrong. I'm sure you could think of something."

"Marry me."

Startling, wide cerulean eyes popped open at an immeasurable speed. Hannibal casually held her gaze, head still propped in his hand.

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

"You have finally succumbed to our relationship once more, one that has lasted well over half a year now. We know each other to a near-full extent, and what we haven't discovered can be learned through the process. We share the same unique habits and rituals, live adjoining lifestyles, and are comfortable in one another's company. Jack Crawford's suspicion will have risen from this last deadly incident. Appearing as a love-struck, overly-busy engaged couple, we might seem less ostensible."

Anna had risen, staring down at him incredulously.  
"You're serious."  
It was a statement.

"I am."

Anna's head reeled. _Marry the incomprehensible, overly attractive doctor?_ Hannibal watched her bite down on her bottom lip, face contorted. _Is there a downside to this?_

_I could sell my house and ship Cecelia back to France, with Lily. It would be the safest bet for the child anyway; I have no idea how I'd react to her now-_

"You could still keep your last name, and separate account-"

"What would be the point of marriage if I didn't even get your last name?" Anna so bluntly interrupted. Before Hannibal could reply the woman had drawn herself back, nibbling on her thumb pensively. She looked nearly ridiculous with her knees bent to her chest, sitting stark naked minus the long, dark hair covering down her spine and chest.

"…There is more to this than just convenience, isn't there. Tobias scared you with the empty abduction threats, didn't he?

Those taunting lips frowned. "They were hardly empty, An-na, seeing as how he did in fact capture you." His languid body had risen only to pull the blankets and sheet from the rim of the bed. "It would at least give me peace of mind, knowing where you were every night." Hannibal cast her with a knowing, sinful gaze.

"You would come home to me, Mrs. Lecter."

"Dr. Lecter," Anna produced absently. Her mouth still busily chewed upon her thumbnail, blue eyes blankly staring at the dark cherry headboard. "It would be Dr. and Dr. Lecter. I could deal with a Mrs. Lecter every once and a while, though."

"Is that a yes, then?"

Anna Astor looked upon his face, hard. He sat leaning against the frame of his bed, sheet carelessly thrown across his waist. The peeks of silver through the hair on his chest were more distinguishing than graying, only adding to his sexuality. Those lips always planted with a smirk on one side, every time he looked at her, the clear brown irises watching her every move. The very hands that had helped bring her to ecstasy lay neatly folded in his lap, long and slender.

She would possess every part of him like no woman ever would. Only her, always her.

"Yes."


	44. Chapter 44

Thanks for all the swell reviews! I love them. All favorites and followers. Hurrah!

-_M_

* * *

_"It was my mother's. I hoped it would appeal to your certain genre of taste, though if it doesn't-"_

_"It's perfect."_

Anna Astor sat in an overflowing tub, staring at the ring on her hand. Rose gold and intricate, ornately shaped as butterflies on either side of the white diamond cut to the shape of a heart fixated in the center. Two brilliant round diamonds were placed in the front wings, along with five identical rocks on either side of the band to a halfway point, leaving the rest as the same beautiful pinkish-gold.

The Lecter family had been wealthy: very wealthy. There was no doubt in her mind upon viewing the ring.

Tan fingers raised towards the window, admiring her new jewelry. He watched her, arms spread across the parallel tub rim, in a prideful amusement. Blue eyes were still wide with awe.

"I should have taken it off first. I don't want to ruin it."  
"A little water won't hurt; it isn't made of sand, An-na…"

A wispy breath trailed out of the woman before she swiveled. Piled brunette hair grazed Hannibal's jaw as Anna's head on his shoulder. "Do you care what sort of wedding we have? Or do you just want a discreet courthouse meeting?"

He had went hard with her soft body now lying against his. Anna suppressed a grin, settling in and trying not to egg him further.

"I believe that is up to you. Whatever you prefer."

"Your little opera friends wouldn't _dream_ of the great Dr. _Lecter_ having a scanty little wedding," Anna's voice was snide though her expression downcast. She had lured one of his hands into the water, now being carefully examined by her own. With their palms together, Hannibal could still lower his fingers by the top joint and cap hers.  
"-so the no-ceremony is out. I don't mind getting dressed up and I daresay you don't either. Plus, having Jack and the rest of the FBI group there will help verify it into their minds." Anna looked to him with a sudden excitement.

"Will could be your best man. Jack could walk me down the isle. It's perfect,"

"Very well. Is there anyone else you would want to invite?"

Anna let out a soft laugh. "If you haven't noticed, I don't exactly have many friends."

"I'm your friend,"

His response was simple, easy. A crooked smile turned her lips. "Yes, you are."

A long neck craned as he kissed her, licking his way into her mouth. Before she could think instinct made her rise and straddle his lap, wanting more.

A hissing, annoyed breath escaped Hannibal Lecter as a phone rang.

"I could ignore it, if you like,"

"No, it could be Jack or Will. You should answer."

He was regretful in choice as the lithe body pulled away from his, twisting over the bath's rim to catch her vibrating phone. Brown eyes could just make out the picture of an open-mouthed Will on the screen, caught off-guard by her camera. "Hello?"

Anna returned to her previous position, nestled against the wide expanse of his chest. Deft hands snuck under her breasts, swelling them beneath the water. She squirmed to his smirk-mouthed pleasure. "_Great_. Ah, where?"

_"On some Virginian beach. About three hours away. Are you okay?"_

Hannibal had slithered fingers down, spreading her and scooping in. Anna's immediate jerk led water to slosh from the tub, his throaty chuckle loud enough to reach the phone receiver.

"F-Fine, I'm fine. I'll meet you at Crawford's in half an hour, is that okay?"

The call ended. Startling blue eyes glared at his teasing smile, fighting not to let it crack his mouth. Anna wanted to smack and kiss him all at once.

"Hannibal Lecter, you are a cad."

She didn't give him a chance to respond, choosing the latter instinct to press her lips upon his.

It was the greatest euphoria, having him close his eyes and kiss her back with an unguarded, palpable tenderness.

* * *

"Anna,"

It was a deadpanned, correct guess after two cool hands covered his glasses. Quickly the fingers fell away, taking the frames with them.

Anna Astor stood behind the men with a lopsided smile. A black top with long sheer sleeves covered her chest, tucked into a crookedly striped black and white skirt stopping two inches above her knees. Her dark hair was a mess at the crown of her head, giving her a younger appearance. Will's dark frames were now planted on her face, masking the bright blue eyes twinkling at them. "A beach day, huh?"

"A beach _party_. Just wait until you see," Jack Crawford snorted. Anna drew to Will's side, dodging his weak attempt to snatch back his glasses. He had started to smile when she turned to him, cross-eyed.

"Ride with me?"

* * *

"_We're happy, free, confused, and lonely at the same time, it's miserable and magical oh yeah! Tonight's the night when we forget about the deadlines, it's time, uh huh. I don't know about you, but I'm feeling 22! Everything will be alright if you keep me next to you!_"

It was hard, not grinning, laughing, as the beautifully ridiculous woman, always so poised and formal, shouted Taylor Swift lyrics at the top of her lungs, completely off-key and accented. Her hands nearly hit his face as she swayed to the radio, head rocking side to side. "I gotta have you, I gotta have _you-oh_!"

"And you made fun of _me_ for listening to her."

"You own her albums. I simply know the popular songs via radio. _William_."  
"You have known every single song on the album so far. _Anastasia_."

Anna chuckled, relaxing back into her seat. No one had assumed her full first name, yet. "Anastasia's a good guess, but no."

Furtive brown eyes ran her way before returning to the road. "Annalyn? Alexandria, perhaps?"

"It's just Molly."

"_What_?" Will turned incredulously, crooked grin already pulling one side of his mouth. "That could derive Anna in _no_ possible way. It's not even longer than what you go by. Why on earth would they name you _Molly_ and call you _Anna_?"

The new-found woman simply shrugged. "The nurse mistook what my father said and went with the first name she understood through his thick accent. Surely you've heard that phrase, '_Good golly miss Molly_." It was just a joke. The nurse took it as that being my name and had me registered as so. My mother was furious, but with them being French and not originally from this country, they really had no idea how to change my birth certificate. I have never in my life been called Molly." Azure eyes blinked. She turned to him, smiling. "I don't think I've ever even told another person my birth certificate name before."

"Well I am graciously flattered then. Mollistasia."

Loud, throaty laughter beat his eardrums as Anna was donned her new nickname.

"Will, that's just _dreadful_…"  
~

* * *

_I forgot that stupid wig_.

Anna Astor, clothed in the same dress with the addition of a black cloche hat and a thick cloak, sat by herself in a ritzy Virginian restaurant.

Her key target, a vastly pale, copper-haired woman with eyes the size of the full moon, was laughing not three tables away.

_I'll have to wait, until she alone. No witnesses, no traces._

To her utmost luck the blonde friend left first with one wave of a hand. Anna could now see the waif of the woman fully.

Brilliantly tall and deathly skinny, with alabaster skin and rounded rabbit teeth. She had a down-turned upper lip -both wondrously full- hollow cheeks, and long hair the color of pennies.

The feature that distinguished her most, though, were those wide, doll-like eyes, the color of sea glass.

"Oh my God!" Her voice was surprisingly vibrato and strong. Hands reached out too late to catch Anna Astor as she stumbled to the sidewalk. "I'm so sorry- are you alright?"

"Fine, fine! Don't apologize; that was entirely my fault," The woman sheathed in black was a sympathy case until her own cerulean eyes met that of the strangers, lips creating a breathtaking smile. "I've ruined your shirt; I'm frightfully sorry."

"Don't worry about it, please. I've got a million more at home," The smile had worked: she was dazed, unguarded. A cloche hat shook disdainfully.

"Please, at least allow me to pay for the dry cleaning, or buy you another. Valentino, correct?"  
A grin of crooked astonishment raised the blonde's lips. "Yeah! How did you-"

"I recognize the handiwork. Judging by your physique I would say small, perhaps in a cool shade of emerald. Where should I have it delivered to?"

"Really, you don't have to-"

"I want to," Anna smiled opals, catching a thin, pale hand with both of her own. "I feel dreadful for this, and it would give me peace of mind. Please,"

Kitten lips sucked in. Her debating thoughts were clear and obvious, a fawn listening for predators. With great reluctance the woman dug into her purse, returning with a notepad and miniature pen. "Okay, okay, I give. Here's my address, and phone number. You really don't have to do this, though. Like I said, it's just a shirt-"

"A shirt I wrongfully destroyed," Anna cut off once more. Satisfaction warmed her face and she accepted the note card. "I'm afraid you haven't given me your name, however."

"Oh!" The redhead with sapphire eyes grinned.

"I'm Catharine Caldwell."

* * *

Anna Astor appeared to be in a brilliant mood.

Boisterously entering his office, smirk unable to hide between the curve of her mouth and eyes. A shopping bag leisurely hung from one hand before plopping into a chair. Hannibal Lecter paused in his drawing to take in her intrusion.

"An-na. Where have you-"

"Are you expecting anyone?" He was used to her interruptions, though never as languid, sneaky in tone and body language.

Half-lidded eyes shone down from a raised jaw, tilting with expectancy. An eyebrow rose upon his face.

"No."

He was impressed with the saunter she glided with, fingers brushing the papers atop his desk. Another nostalgic sketch of buildings sat superior among them, charcoal pencil still in his grip. A grin just licked Anna's lips, hand feigning emotion against her forehead as she breathed, "_Draw me like one of your French girls_,"

"You are, in fact, French," Hannibal commented with a light crinkle near his eyes. The brunette scoffed, though smiling as she did so. His chair swiveled to the right with her hand upon the armrest.

Startling blues never left his as she pressed closer to stand between his knees. Slowly, she slid until her own met the hard floor, arms draped over his thighs. Hannibal neither frowned nor smiled. The expanding, hardening in his pants gave away his arousal. "I found her."

"Whom?" His tone was calm. Anna let her fingers curl into his inner thighs, flexing each individual digit.

"Abirad Caldwell's wife, Catharine. The totem pole massacre provided the perfect reason to visit and coincided with the schedule I've studied on the woman's routines,"

He never allowed women to touch him: he had said so only yesterday. She had debated if this were a simple lie, to appeal her stubborn nature. By the clench of his jaw, the pulsing vein in his temple, Anna decided it was not.  
Her own lips twitched when her fingers ran over the seam of his pants.

"She can't be more than twenty-five. Copper-haired, bubbly," Her eyes flicked wickedly to his with the careful unbuttoning of his pants. "_Left-handed_."

"Mmm," Was all the response Hannibal Lecter gave. Delicate fingers had carved their way into his clothing, and just as chestnut hair ducked, his front door slammed.

"_Pour l'amour du christ_," Anna muttered, angrily glancing away, "-will I ever catch a break?"

"Yes, quite unfortunate for _you_," A dark doctor muttered under sighing breath. It rose a lopsided grin to the woman's lips. Anna stood quickly and kissed Hannibal hard on the mouth, tucking away what she had unsheathed. A hand caught the nape of her neck, drawing her close as he hungrily licked the seal of her lips. She parted only to kiss him twice more, grinning, before trotting away.

"Will, I was not expecting you," Dr. Lecter greeted through the now-open door. His accomplice had veered left for her bag, allowing him to answer the caller. A stupefied Will Graham slowly began to crumble, sand beneath the tide.  
"I was just on a beach in Virginia, and now I'm here-"

"You are losing time, Will. What is the last instance you recall?"

The agent raked his brain, rubbed his face.

A fragrant, floral smell wafted into his noise, shutting the ocean scent out. It was wonderful and fresh; the same left in his car and the clothing returned after a cold night out on the lake.

She was the last thing Will Graham remembered, smiling with obvious worry upon his empathizing.

When he opened his eyes, she stood there once more.

"_Anna_."

"Hi, Will," Ears rose with her smile, standing beside the taller frame of Hannibal. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" _What are you doing here, Graham?_ An idea burst into his mind, finally taking notice of the book clenched in his grip. "You forgot your book in my car."

"Thank goodness! When I couldn't find it, I nearly lost my head," Anna breathed, rushing forward. Her hands closed around the book and wide blue eyes drank him in appreciatively. "Thanks for bringing it to me. But how did you know I was here?"

Will looked to Hannibal, grimly. "A lucky guess."

"…Right. I'll just be leaving, then," Anna had caught the heated moment between doctor and friend, unconsciously backing away. She lent a lopsided smile to Will and patted his shoulder before quietly making her exit.

* * *

"Hannibal,"

The impeding form tensed before quickly loosening, recognizing the voice. Red lips frowned as he paused. "An-na, you didn't need to wait for me,"

"I took a taxi here. I have no means of getting home if not for you," Her smile always affected him, sent a ripple through his chest. Upon her quick drawl to his side, Hannibal caught her chin and kissed her. His heart pounded with the way she blissfully sighed, wrapped her arms under his.

"You didn't tell him,"

"Hmm?" Blue eyes dreamily blinked awake to his statement. Hannibal Lecter gazed back, furrowed.

"You did not inform Will of our engagement."

"I thought you would want to be there," Anna answered, sensible in thought.  
_I thought you would like to propose again more romantically._

"A great point of this is to distract Will and the FBI forces," Hannibal argued. He hadn't released her of his grip, proving his calm demeanor with the situation. "Today would have been a perfect opportunity."

"I suppose; however, I went with the intention of tracking down Catharine Caldwell," A plastic bag rose with her arm. "Everything I wore shall be desecrated. I'd rather not destroy my own engagement ring, nor risk losing it within my little pockets,"

They had arrived by his car. Anna's left hand felt cold when he released it, turning away to open her door. "I need to go home, to get a change of clothes. Unless you prefer to spend some time alone."

"I've taken care of your clothing, An-na, and thoroughly enjoy your company. If you want to stay at your house instead, I will not bear ill will."

She smiled breathlessly, slipping into the car beside him. "No, I want to go home with you. It's going to be my home too, soon,"

It was the first genuine smile to tickle Hannibal's lips. Without thinking Anna bent across the seats and kissed beneath his sharp cheek bone. The crinkles near his eyes were easy and free to grow with his widening smile.

"I think I'm going to need some help, Hannibal."

"With?"

She inhaled deeply, stared out the translucent wind shield. "Catharine Caldwell."

A sinfully attractive smirk curled the lips of Hannibal Lecter.

_"Gana An-na, it would be my utmost pleasure,"_

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/157133474469353841/


	45. Chapter 45

Please forgive me tardiness in updating lately. I'm just meticulous and edit constantly. Plus summer is demanding my attention. I, unfortunately, do not own Hannibal. Just the Astors. I love all reviews, favorites, and followers! Thank you for your continuous support.

This is set in the episode of _Trou Normand,_ though altering the chain of events.

-_M_

* * *

"You knew they killed him, didn't you."

A feline face rose, unsurprised. She breathed in a deep breath.

"Yes."

Eyes were hidden by the reflection upon his glasses. His head ducked. Hands deep in pockets, shifting weight from foot to foot. He looked at her again.

"_Why_?"

"Because my niece was with Abigail Hobbs. Because, Lily has dealt with murder far too much for someone so young," Her hair, pinned in large springed rolls, hardly moved as she stood. Eyes and lips were already painted for the night. "Is that so wrong of me? What will you do?"

"…I'll keep your secret."

Her crooked grin broke out, exuberant. "_Our_ secret."

A shaky sigh escaped Will Graham as Anna floated to him, arms raised. "Dance with me."

"I can't," The special agent grunted.

Before he knew it, he had been on her doorstep, expecting the usual answering of Cecelia.

Instead only little Anna Astor stood, bright-eyed and half ready for the dinner with Freddie Lounds and Abigail Hobbs tonight.

Standing in her studio, a room of wooden floors and high ceilings. A strawberry mouth scoffed, forcing her right hand into his left. "I'll teach you."

Anna Astor was fluid and smooth, with animal grace that led him waltzing around the room. Will couldn't contain laughter as her agitation with him began to stir.

"I told you I can't dance. It's not in my repertoire,"

"Classless."

He held his chest, looking hurt. The silk-robed brunette slapped him playfully. Anna finally admitted defeat and led them away, depositing him in the master bedroom as she headed into the adjoining bathroom.

"I couldn't decide on two different outfits. Now that you're here, you can pick," A voice wafted through the door. Scrutinizing, sea glass eyes were breaking down her room, poking through an open drawer.

"You were glasses?" Will inquired upon her appearance. A tight mini-dress of emerald green clung to Anna Astor's body, long-sleeved with no back save a thin strand of glittering sequins between her shoulder blades. He shook his head. "Freddie Lounds will more than likely wear green. Wouldn't want to copy her crude form of dress."

"Why would she wear green?" Astor asked curiously. Cerulean orbs were wide with a blankness Will had never seen before. He shifted uncomfortably.

"I don't know. I thought redheads wore green because they compliment, or some crap like that."

"_Oh_, ginger." Anna nodded to herself, brow furrowed. _Had she forgotten?_

"I wear them to read."  
"Er, what?"

Red lips turned into a smirk and she gestured at the black-framed glasses in his hand. "I wear glasses to read, at night."

She disappeared in the bathroom once more. Will replaced the spectacles among the piles of jewelry, eyes caught on a Polaroid wedged in a mirror's frame.

He and Hannibal Lecter sat, leaning in against the slender body between them. Their heads nearly grazed one another atop of the middle's, arms tightly crossed over their chests, lost in sleep. Two blue eyes were startling even behind Will Graham's stolen glasses, smile cheerful. A book sat open in her lap as if she had been caught off guard with the photograph.

"That was at the airport. Abigail took it," A floral, teasing scent filled his nose. Dark glossy hair had finally been set loose, falling in waves around her shoulders. Anna smiled fondly. "I got lost in a terminal, and after that you two wouldn't let me leave your sights."  
"You're very important to us," Will answered without thinking. He started to return the picture before a soft hand caught his.

"Keep it. I have copies," Her grin was a reawakening of warm emotions vibrating his chest. "You can frame it and put it on your desk, so that people will know you actually have friends."

"They would probably think you were some stranger I hired to let me sleep on," His scruffy face retorted. Anna laughed.

Now dressed in a strapless dress of frosted grey, fitted to the waist with an open skirt. Large flowers of the same color were designed from the hem, becoming three-dimensional by the sweetheart top. Petals and leaves crawled out to her chest, above the thicker rim of the dress.

"You look beautiful."

A flush tinted her cheeks. Anna busily smoothed his shirt, swiped curly bangs from his eyes. "You're driving me?"

"Yeah," Blue eyes checked the time before he grinned.

"Better leave now. Wouldn't want to keep the Devil waiting."

* * *

Stony eyes, a grimace quivering on the edge of her lips.

It took but one sentence for Anna to recall just how much she loathed Freddie Lounds.

The girl, with dark hair and the freckled complexion, was ecstatic upon her and Will's arrival. Pummeling the grey body into a tight embrace, laughing. Anna had froze with such rigidness that Abigail Hobbs pulled away, looked at her with bright, hopeful eyes.

Anna held her face in both hands and kissed either cheek.

"No children?"

"I can't have children," The room was noticeably colder with Anna's dead answer. Two-toned eyes were ice cast upon Lounds, a sneer forming her mouth. "-though the children of the Chesapeake Ripper would be quite an astounding sight, wouldn't they?"

Abigail sputtered at the question, gaping up in shock. Anna held Freddie's unapologetic gaze. "Your father wasn't the Chesapeake Ripper, Abigail. Miss Lounds believes it to be a man named Abel Gideon-"

"A man _you_ saw on a weekly basis, before returning as his apprentice," Freddie cut in pleasantly. All sets of eyes were cast upon the brunette. She smiled.

"It's a good thing my lover is behind bars then, isn't it." Anna's lips produced a gleaming row of teeth. "I would surely ask for your painful and immediate death otherwise,"

"You think the Ripper's already been arrested?" Abigail's voice wavered. Neither woman nor Dr. Lecter produced an answer, though Will shook his head.

"This is too somber a conversation; please, let us turn away from it."

"...Anna attempted the impossible by trying to teach me how to dance earlier today,"

Blue eyes widened, a smile finally beginning to peak through as Anna glanced to Dr. Lecter.  
_Perhaps if I simply ignore Lounds, she'll burst into flames. Or grow tired and leave, when she's not the center of attention. _  
"It was horrible. He has no rhythm whatsoever, and can't follow the simplest of directions. You are leagues ahead of him when it comes to finding stride with me."

Hannibal's face, which she expected to hold a certain jovial tone, was tight, forced. The deep eyes she knew so well were visibly darker as he spoke in a cut voice; "Perhaps there was simply no chemistry."

"That or I was right in saying I have _no_ skills at dancing, period," Will chuckled, reaching for his wine glass. The conversation broadened before turning to Abigail.

Anna was still distracted, caught on the glassy look in Hannibal's eyes. The way he now hardly glanced her way.

_What did I say to make him act like this?_

"You didn't have to slam the door so hard."

"Yes, I really did, William," She looked overly pleased with herself, balancing on tiptoe to peer out at an open-mouthed Freddie Lounds now standing on the doorstep in the pitch darkness. "-That woman is a cancer. If I never see her snarky face again, my life will be perfectly blissful." Anna pivoted to the tall, shaggy man. Her smirk was still riding the corner of her lips.  
"Would you like a drink? We could sit in the living room and discuss our shared hatred for Lounds."

"Sounds like a dream come true, Anna."

Her Chesire grin knotted his stomach and as she passed a breeze of her perfume swept him like a wave. Will Graham let out a breath he hadn't recalled holding.

"Freddie left. Will's decided to stay for a-"

Anna's stomach lurched, feet falling dead upon the floor, a hand still on the swinging door.

Abigail Hobbs glanced up from the protective hold of Hannibal Lecter's arms, rabbit eyes wide as if caught in an unseemly act.

A wave of nausea rocked her body. It turned and twisted until it caught fire, sparking her ribs as it coursed through her like a disease.

A glass flute dropped suddenly from her fingertips, shattering upon the floor. Blue eyes blinked down, dazed. Pomegranate lips had parted in a mild shock.

"Anna, I-"

"I've interrupted something very tender and personal. Forgive me," Her voice was cultured and smooth, milky. A sweet smile unsettled the room before Anna's head bowed, turning on an expert heel and disappearing.

_You see, you aren't all lost. Look how quickly you withdrew, turned to __**me**__ for protection. I'm still in here, Anna. __**We're still here**__._

Anna Astor shook the snake voice from her thoughts, pressed her thumb over the bottle. She still had something to take care of.

Someone who hadn't just confused and enraged the murderous intent inside her.

She found Will on the couch, looking as uncomfortable as she felt.  
He noticed her and sat up expectantly. Anna's brow furrowed, fingers playing with that of her other hand.

"Abigail isn't feeling well. Hannibal is taking her back," It was a lie she hoped sounded true, façade shaky compared to the ones she could use with anyone else. Will seemed to accept the response, rising to his feet with a stretch.

"That's okay. I might as well go home and pretend to sleep anyway." Anna smiled apologetically; the first expression that didn't seem forced. Heels alternated in clicking, the graceful woman walked the curly-haired agent to the main entrance and surprised him when she stepped out as well, softly closing the door behind her.

"You don't have a coat," Will acknowledged as the brunette wrapped slender arms around herself. She shrugged.

"Thank you for coming tonight. I don't think I could've dealt with Lounds alone."

"Hannibal and Abigail were there, too. You didn't need me."

"Hannibal is always cordial, and Abigail is wrapped around Lounds' finger," Anna grudged. Her eyes rose from his chest to the messy hair above his eyes, a grin altering her expression. "So, you're wrong. I did. I do need you."

A ghost of a finger rose, outlined the length of the shallow scar on the rim of her eye. A pounding filled Anna Astor's ears, caught her breath.

In that moment, it was again only them and the world, two separate entities of life.

An instant later and it was lost, resolve conquered. With the steady breath she filled herself on, the thought was cast away and lost at sea.

_Stop, stop it. You are vulnerable and emotional. Will is your friend, someone you trust. Don't fuck it up by playing games._

"I…need you, Anna. It's a large factor as to why I'll keep Abigail's secret. You are one of the only positive constancies in my life. I don't want to lose you,"

"Don't put that kind of pressure on me, Will," Anna warned. A peach hand suddenly rose, produced a pill bottle between them. The little smirk that was so accustomed to Anna was returning. "Besides. You only want me for my drugs."

"Damn. You've caught me."

Anna laughed at his admittance. The hand just recently causing her heart to second-guess bent to pocket the pills, staggering back. Will's face broke into a genuine grin.

"Thanks for all of this. I'll see you soon?"

"Most assuredly. Crawford can't seem to get enough of us." The woman answered. It was special agent Will Graham's turn to laugh, waving one last time before entering the night.

Anna Astor followed soon after, the nagging burn in the pit of her stomach ever-adamant.

* * *

_"How much further, sweets?"_

_"We are almost there."_

_Car stopping, surrounded by the falling snow. A dementor in a land of pure white, stalking out between the trees. _

_"'The fuck are we? I don't see no house." He rounded on the woman, staggering from intoxication and the heavy girth he carried. "Y'fucking slut, where are-"_

_Her gossamer smile, caught between the long shining tendrils of chestnut, slowly turned._  
_He drank it in with a sharp breath, exhaling a gasp with the sudden sharp pain in his neck._

_His limbs went dead as the woman pulled away, a shining syringe in hand. Crystal eyes admired the needle point, rolling it between her leather-gloved fingers. _

_"You were very unplanned, my friend. A death of anger, though I believe you are deserving of my blessing. It's not every day a man walks around so drunk and crude as you." _

_Falling to his knees, grasping at her for support. She did not pry away as her head tilted to the blurry sky._

_"You won't die. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps not even while I cut the fat from your belly or grind your teeth and fingerprints off." She looked at him, pushed with one leg so he fell onto his back. Anna Astor smiled. _

_"If you do survive all of that, the maggot, rat, and cockroach-infested dump will rejoice in your fresh, living meat." _

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/73676143876562401/


	46. Chapter 46

Last chapter was based around the dinner party in the Hannibal episode, _Trou Normand,_ consisting of Lounds, Hannibal, Will, and Abigail, altered to include Anna. Will, who figured out Abigail's involvement in the death of Nicholas Boyle, shows up unannounced at the Astor residence and offered to drive her to Hannibal's after confronting her of her own involvement with Boyle. After the dinner, Anna happened to walk in on the tender scene between Abigail Hobbs and Hannibal, where Abigail finally admitted to the part she played in her _father's murders_. Jealousy and hurt burned Anna's confused mind and body, leading her to step out and kill from sheer emotion. I'm sorry if it was confusing. I love all reviews, followers, and favorites! Please tell me if this summary was helpful.

-_M_

* * *

He wondered how long he could stare at the ceiling before he too lost his mind.

Four phones calls, one voicemail.

She had taken his keys, leaving him immobile. Had Freddie Lounds not returned for her bag, Miss Hobbs would have partook in an awkward, impromptu slumber party.

_He could recognize that mess of brunette hair anywhere._

_Grabbing her shoulder, turning._

_A sickly, bloody woman stared back with glassy eyes and a bitter smile. _

_"Does it disgust you?" Her voice was amused, snide. "The smell of my rotting insides?"_

_She was naked, covered in blossomed bruises. Her stomach moved as if it were alive. _

_A knife came from her hand, so swift he had no time to react._

_It dug into her own abdomen and ripped her into halves. _

_"__**This is what you've done to me**__."_

* * *

Hannibal Lecter woke suddenly, drenched in sweat and shaking.

_7:35 A.M._

The wafting smell of food caught his sensitive nose. Throwing himself out of bed, heart still pounding, the man stalked to his kitchen.

A slender, unharmed frame stood, clothed in a crisp button-down and a pair of his own sweatpants, hung low on her more narrow hips.

Anna Astor's startling eyes found him, calm. "I've made breakfast."

"An-na," His first word and thought of the morning. She was wiping her hands on a dish towel, unaware of his stress.  
"I hope my entrée cooking meets your standards. I'm not-"

Hannibal Lecter swept the woman up and crushed his mouth upon hers.  
Touched her face, pressed one firm hand against her stomach before leading it through her loose hair.

"An-na," Hannibal murmured once more. Cerulean eyes were wide, looking into the soft brown orbs before her. An arm from behind scooted her forward and across the counter, fingers pressing a delicate neck to settle her face against the side of his. "I thought you had left me."

"I would never," Anna condoned. Her hand slowly rose to pet his soft hair, ruffled from sleep.  
It was unusual and surprisingly adorable, to see a man known to be so formal dressed in only a white t-shirt and trunk underwear, nuzzling her neck with such an imploring need.  
Anna caught his face and pulled him back. "I just needed…" Her lips twitched dangerously, fighting a restless sort of grin. "I was mad and needed a release. You cook, so I thought I would take a whack at it as well,"

Unable to escape Hannibal's strong arms she twisted and writhed around him. Her fingers just caught the edge of a porcelain plate and Anna slid it closer to lift a dainty pie-like treat from the center. She smiled, sitting straight and offering it to a naturally-pursed mouth.

The shriveled cup appeared to be made of meat, filled with a glossy egg and garnish. Hannibal sucked the egg in one fluid move, lips brushing against the tips of Anna's fingers. A hand rose from her back to take the slab of meat left from his attack. He scrutinized the folds, colors, before placing it in his mouth.

"You've been a busy girl, Miss Astor,"

"I have a fiancé to feed, Dr. Lecter,"

The immediate crinkling of his face brightened her mood before Hannibal turned solemn. "Forgive my actions of last night. Abigail at last admitted to helping her father in the murders."

"Another little secret, hm? One I suppose we will _not_ enlighten Will on," Anna persisted to feed him another cup, wrapping her legs around his waist. "I can't control my jealousy, Hannibal. It's an aspect of my personality you must deal with."

"I embrace it wholeheartedly, so long as you know the same applies to you," His boyish smile sent a shiver through Anna's system and it did not go unnoticed. Hannibal all but purred as fingers leisurely began to loosen her top. "Why, may I ask, are you wearing a work top and my sweatpants?"

The woman had picked up another plate, holding out a crispy breaded treat oozing a deep blue jelly. It burst will flavor in his mouth, stained his tongue. "Because I don't know what drawer my bottoms are in, and I didn't want to wake you."

"_Skanus_, An-na," The doctor groaned, grasping her wrist to greedily lick her fingers per the next bite. "-You could simply not return to work, stay here and cook instead. I could quit as well and join you,"

"We'd grow quite poor, and not be able to afford such high-grade spices," Anna teased back, grinning at his full-cheeked face still pensively chewing. "Besides, you would get sick of me. I'd be chopped into pieces by the end of the month,"

A red mouth traveled the length of her neck, bit into her collar bone. Hands were gently curved between her ribs as Hannibal bent closer to reach her warm skin. An expert tongue languidly rolled over the tip of her right breast, sucking before exhaling a cool breath.  
"What choice would I have?" His accent spoke softly, licking the left side of her chest only to watch it harden. Fingers cupped both teased peaks, lips pressing soft kisses between them up to her heart. Hannibal rose to Anna's mouth, stealing her breath before smiling. "You're too tempting. You don't even have to try,"

"Do you even hear yourself when you say things like that?" Anna asked, exasperated. Her hands intertwined with his and she held them behind her back. "You are so ridiculously enigmatic and attractive. Every woman who crosses your path falls in love with you. All you have to do is look their way and clothes come off,"

A throaty chuckle warmed her ears. Instinctively he pulled her closer. "I only care for your love, An-na, and your clothes falling to the floor,"

"You want to make love to me, here? So close to your precious food?" Anna scoffed, though her toes had began to curl into the waist of the towering doctor's scanty bottoms. He rubbed up the bare spine beneath loose cotton, nibbling the lobe of her ear. "Here, the dining room, my office. I'm flexible with whatever you decide to so generously offer,"  
Anna Astor pulled away, looking delightfully amused.

"Oh, Hannibal. I was a dancer. You have yet to find out the meaning of _flexible_."

* * *

"Another chilling lecture under your belt, Will?" Alana Bloom's voice was teasing as it walked through the open doors, students trailing past. A bearded man straightened papers on his desk and nodded reluctantly.

"If that's what you want to call it." He pushed the frame of his glasses further up his nose. "What's up?"

"Hannibal and Anna are getting married."

Will Graham physically began to choke.

Coughing, sputtering, with the little help of Alana beating upon his back. A shaky hand rose to stall her excessive torment, catching his breath to his own accord. The psychologist by his side held the same tight-lipped expression, obviously not pleased.

_What the hell does she care. And what business do I have to be upset? I knew they were dating. I knew it would eventually lead to this or a gruesome end._

"How did you find _that _out?"

"Crawford. Apparently he was asked to dine with the pair last night, to discuss the grounds on which Jack would be okay with the proposal," A slow sigh plumed Alana's bangs. "He answered with congratulations, and that so long as it didn't interfere with either's ability to work together, he didn't see a problem."

"And Jack came right out and told you?"

"He wanted my opinion on the matter."

Will crossed his arms, leaning against his desk. "And what would your opinion be, Alana?"

She bit her lip, eyes shifting for a fraction of a second before returning. "I think it's a mistake."

"They're perfect for one another; you said so yourself."

"Hannibal is a very cultured, august man. Anna is-"

"Is what, exactly, Alana?" His sharp voice surprised her. Blue eyes widened innocently, back-tracking.

"I just think it's a little reckless. They hardly know each other."

_'And if it were based on the amount of time two people knew one another, it would be you marrying Hannibal Lecter.'_ He didn't make his thoughts audible; instead unplugging his laptop and passing the brooding woman.

"It their lives, not ours. I support whatever Anna and Hannibal decide to do," _Even if it's shattering. Even if it only proves how alone I am. _

"Who knows," Will began, holding the door open for Alana with a forced smile, not meeting her gaze,

"They might understand each other better than any of us would have guessed."

* * *

"Hello, am I speaking to Dr. Spencer?" Anna glanced up from the medical sheets spread across the bed as Hannibal departed from the bathroom. Black-framed glasses adorned her face and she wore a tank-top with matching shorts of navy. Little sailboats floated across the material, riding over waves as she adjusted her sitting position.

"I'm calling on behalf of Merck & Co. pharmaceuticals, the provider for Cross hospital," The bed shifted with Hannibal's weight, a blithe lion sprawled next to her, "You've recently prescribed a Mr. Abirad Caldwell Ezetimibe, for his high cholesterol, without a statin. Might I suggest _Simvastatin_? _Zocor_ is the version we produce. The triglyceride levels within his blood would also lower, along with multiple heath risks,"

Dr. Astor was oblivious to Hannibal, staring with a furrowed gaze at her laptop. Knees were bent, spread on either side of the computer. A delicate spine curved inward rather than out, posture perfect, her damp hair pulled over one shoulder.

"I was hired to help find solutions to expensive, inadequate drugs. _Zocor_ provides equal health benefits with surplus, and saves Cross a hefty sum of money." She smiled with no one to be charmed save Hannibal. "I am a simple telemarketer, trying to do my job."

Anna began to nod, sucking in her cheeks like a fish. "Yes, thank you. It is always a pleasure working with agreeable clients. Please, have a good evening,"

"A doctor, working so late at night?" The accented voice drawled. Anna smiled, gaze stuck on the glowing screen of her laptop.

"You work late all the time, Hannibal. But tonight is a twenty-four hour shift for Dr. Spencer." She sighed and stretched before organizing paperwork. "Statin has been proved to cause irritation and severe anger. Caldwell step one, initiated."

Anna tugged the cold roots of her hair, falling to her rump beside the psychologist's long legs. A smooth hand ran over her thigh. "I didn't know you wore glasses,"

"Yes you did," She argued, brow knitting together at his softly smiling face. "I just told you yester-Oh."

_It wasn't Hannibal I told yesterday, but Will._

"-I only wear them to read, at night. My eyes are blearily strained by small print after eight p.m." Anna caught the hand caressing her leg and kissed its palm, the heartbeat within his wrist. She turned into the leading arm, snuggling into his side. A large catalog opened against her knees as she stated; "You will not be wearing a plaid suit on our wedding day."

His chest rumbled beneath her, laughing. "Very well,"  
They listlessly browsed through the magazine, his hand drawing lazy circles on Anna's stomach. His fingers and chest froze with her next statement.

"I don't know where I'm going to get a _wreath of rue_. I could make one, I suppose, but it couldn't be wired into my hair-"

"What?"  
Startling eyes rose to his, unguarded now by glasses.

She had never seen Hannibal so surprised in all her life.

"We can't really perform any other Lithuanian traditions. Our parents are dead, and the only "_dowry_" I have to offer you is my kitten." Anna chuckled, flipping the next glossy page. "A wreath-crown shouldn't be that hard to make-"

"You don't have to do this."

Anna looked up at Hannibal again, amused. "I don't _have_ to do anything. But I want to,"

"Why?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

A gasp struck the air as the magazine was slapped from her hands, wrists captured and stapled on either side of the hair now wrapped like web around her pillow.

Hannibal Lecter had her pinned under his long form, caught between his thighs. Dark eyes were murky and his mouth held a sort of tightness that unsettled her.

"Say it."

"Say what?"

The look he cast her was enough of an answer.

Anna Astor slowly smiled, relaxing underneath him. Fingers ran up a bird cage chest, dipped past the hollows beneath ears.

She lost her hands in his hair, pulled him close, mouth to temple, and murmured, "_I love you, Hannibal Lecter._"

As if struck through the heart he fell, caught by weightless limbs as he landed beside her. Laughter tickled his senses, body pressed to the soft form cradled in his arms. He breathed the cool scent of her hair, the floral smell of her skin. Blue eyes were already on his face when Hannibal peeked at her, unable to contain the lopsided smile sweetening his lips. "You will be the end of me, g_ražus, mažai_ _Anna_."

Anna Astor breathed deeply. A finger was leisurely carving words into his chest, face on the very pillow his rested upon. "Lithuanian is not checked in my language box. You'll have to teach me."

"You are a quick study, I'm sure," Hannibal teased. Fingers maliciously twisted chest hair and yanked, causing him to jerk. Anna tried to hide her grin in his neck before the man grabbed her hand and threw it over his back, chuckling despite himself. Warm breath filtered through her ear as the unguarded man breathed. Slumber dusted her lashes, de-boned her body.

"_Jus esate mano, __mažai __Anna._"

Sleep had nearly claimed her. Anna took in a deep breath, too gone to even open her eyes. "What does that mean, Hannibal?"

He shifted, held her closer. Little hands unfurled against him, her slobbering mouth already moistening his shoulder. He couldn't help but smile.

_"You are mine, little Anna,"_


	47. Chapter 47

I wrote this a week and a half ago, which made the ending much more suspenseful. Damn you procrastination! There's some M-rated content about three-fourths down. So, **warning. **I love all reviews, favorites, and followers! Please forgive my update-slacking. But! I received a laptop as a college graduation present! One degree down, one to go.

-_M_

* * *

_"This is a drill, to show how dangerous one person can be, no matter the size,"_

She stood, alert and calm, a stone viper. Hair sleeked in a neat ponytail, surrounded by men on all sides. Will Graham watched warily from the sidelines.

_"Agent Astor is one of the smallest agents we have- and one the most lethal."_

The snide disbelief on their faces did not go unnoticed to her, the quirk of thin lips confirmed.

_"The moment you underestimate your opponent,"_ Anna Astor winked one blue eye at Will, the first sign of life, body suddenly tensing like a cat.

_"You're dead."_

"It's unbelievable how quickly you react," Jack Crawford praised as the woman slipped from the arena, unscathed. The leading FBI chief suddenly smirked. "I can only assume how Hannibal appreciates it,"

"Jack, you're making me blush," Anna answered, doused in a smooth sarcasm. The glimmering of gold reflected in Will's eyes and he unconsciously shifted.

"It was an excellent practice, Anna. Though I'm afraid you enjoyed beating agent Taylor to a pulp a little too much,"

"Did you _see_ the way he looked at me? Even with you explaining the flaw of underestimation?" The brunette snorted as she released her hair tie. "He deserved everything I so graciously brought upon him. I'm going to go change really quick: Will, do you have class today?"

"No,"

"Great," Anna paused outside the women's locker room, a winning smile on her face. "I need a shopping helper today, Hannibal is busy. Will you go with me? Please? Please? Pretty please? I'll buy you lunch-"

"Okay, okay! Just…Just go change, and calm down," Her triumphant grin made his eyes roll, though ignited a smile as well.

Crawford glanced at him.

"She's going to want to look at wedding stuff, you know."

"Yeah, I figured that,"

Jack let out a winding breath. He thumped Will on the shoulder before departing to his office.

"Have fun with that."

The notation of Anna's words, however, had struck a chord deep within Will's conscious. One that wasn't as easily swept under the rug as he wished it to be.

_"He deserved everything I so graciously brought upon him."_

* * *

"It's _pink_. It would look ridiculous."  
"Your ring is identical in color! It's made of the same metal."  
"It's okay for me. I'm female."  
"Do you want mismatched bands?"  
"…No."  
"Then pick the rose gold."

Anna Astor let out an aggravated sigh, billowing hair from her face. She glared at the counter. "We could just go to another store-"

"This is the seventh jewelry store we've been to. If we go to any more my head will explode."

Cerulean eyes peeped up, catching the attention of a gentleman behind the counter. She summoned forth the most enchanting smile she could muster.  
_The last person I smiled at like this is now vacuumed-packed in my freezer._

"Sir, do you possibly have any more in this selection, perhaps in the back?"

The man, _Antoine_ as his name tag read, was in his mid-sixties with graying hair and sharp hazel eyes. He smiled. "I can always check, ma'am. Engagement?"

Anna nodded, offering her hand that he had gently ushered for. A low whistle escaped before he looked to Will.  
"A great choice, my friend. You must love her quite a bit,"

Eyes widened and a blush became apparent under Will's facial hair.

"Oh, I'm not-"

"I pointed it out in a window display. He proposed with the very ring not a week later," Anna cut in with a pearly smile as a hand rose to affectionately squeeze Will's shoulder. Antoine chuckled, looking fondly between the two.

"I might have just the ring," The man left the couple once more, mumbling wistfully to himself about young love. Will abruptly stared at the dark-haired woman, who's calm gaze remained upon the ring display.

"Why did you lie?"

"Because how foolish would I look, shopping for a wedding band with a man who wasn't my fiancé?" Anna permitted a low sigh and a distinct, wrinkled 'V' formed the skin between her eyes. "He would either suspect me a cheater, or you a homosexual."

"Did you ask Hannibal to come?"  
Her silence answered, lips a down-turned giveaway. "Why not?"

"Because. I wanted to prove I could pick something just as nice as he did for me. That I know him as _well_ as he knows me." She hollowed her cheeks. _Because I need to know that I'm ready for this._

"Anna, you-"

"Here we are," Antoine rescued her of the moment, grinning with the presentation of a small box. "They are each hand-engraved. Rustic-gold band and rose gold lining on either side of the silver, specially crafted design. And-" He lifted the ring close to them, showing off the inside with a secret twinkle in his eye, "-with your fingerprints into a soft gold, we can have them line the inside of the band."

It felt heavy in her hand, solid. A wave of nauseous excitement breathed into her chest. "It's perfect."

"Try it on," Antoine urged. Anna blinked as Will did, startled. Sharp eagle eyes burned into their corneas.

Reluctantly, Will Graham held out his hand.  
Anna Astor took the ring, and slipped it onto his annular finger.

"My, you won't even need sizing. A perfect fit."

Blue eyes nearly bulged out of a pretty face, unable to breath.

Will took the greatest pleasure in the situation and grinned uncannily. It brought a certain youth and bright mischievousness to his usually-somber demeanor that struck her by even greater surprise.

"You're right, Antoine. This is the one. Darling, how are we paying?"

* * *

"An-na?"

_"In the bathroom!"_

"The show starts promptly at eight. We'll need to leave in forty-five minutes-"

"I _know_, I know. You always rush me, and we always make it," Anna Astor assured, leaning far over the counter in nothing but black underwear and a matching strapless bra. The formal doctor stilled in the doorway as the woman straightened to smile at him. "Do we not?"

"Yes," Arms circled a scarred waist, pulling her against him. "But by brief minutes. If I lacked in hurrying you, we certainly wouldn't,"

Anna's lips quivered with a smile, averting to his chest. She gripped the lean arms around her, ran her fingers up the muscle until catching his jaw. Her eyes suddenly narrowed.

"I need to hear you say it. I-"

"I love you, Anna."

The way her cheeks flushed, cobalt eyes the size of saucers. Anna Astor's mouth fell open when Hannibal Lecter smiled that sinful full-toothed smile, enjoying the jubilation of catching her so completely off-guard. She had wanted him to openly admit she was right. Instead Anna received the very last expected breath of words.

"_Hannibal_,"  
It was an exhale of air before crushing her lips to his, hands elevating height by grasping his heavy shoulders. A leg rose to swivel around his waist as he kissed her back with vigor.

The immaculate doctor had entered in suit pants, black socks, a crisp dress shirt with a loose tie. He breathed a smirk as strong fingers fought the button of his pants, gripped his tie and yanked him to her level.

"An-na, what-" The bliss of confusing him like he did her never ceased to amuse Anna.  
She pulled away, falling to her knees and dragging rich material with her.  
Words failed to compute as a warm, wet mouth incased the crown of his cock, deft fingers circling the shaft. White knuckles gripped the counter behind him, the sensation of her gentle sucks vibrating through his ribs. "_Anna_-"

"Shh," A heated breath over his rounded head, cerulean eyes locked with his as a velvet tongue ran the length of him. Her porcelain face tilted, fondled the heavy gonads at the root before returning to the tip. A hot flare of pre-cum had surfaced, swirled across the plush head as her full attention returned to sucking him off.

A moan of delicious agony slipped from Hannibal's lips, muscles clenched from his chest to the thigh she held to for balance. A shiver of delight pricked her skin.

"_Kristus, Anna. Tiesiog patinka. Suck sunkiau_." Fingers gripped the beginnings of her hair, growing rough with the overwhelming need to come.

Hannibal Lecter, the pillar of control, was slowly losing himself to her.

He tore at the silk tail of Anna's hair, directing her with his bucking hips, beating into her throat. His pleasure fed her movements, relentless until he shivered and rasped, breathing through an open mouth.

The first wave of semen was so forceful she almost choked. Hannibal took no heed, thrusting into her mouth, throbbing with each cadence injected into her. Anna fought the urge to pull away, coaxing every last inch until he quaked and grew lax, breathlessly praising her between broken English and Lithuanian in a way no one ever quite had.

Anna Astor turned to the mirror, and fixed her hair.

"You really should get to changing, Hannibal," The woman warmed a wash cloth in the sink, turning to wipe his cock gently. She smirked up at him, innocent.

"We only have twenty-five minutes."

* * *

"We're going to miss it, and you'll blame me-"  
"We have time."  
"I really can't see how-"

A beautiful woman, slender in a evening gown of ebony, held to her shoulders by a circle of gold, sighed, her shining hair wound into an elegant chignon at the crown of her head bobbing gently. A lush coat was thrown over tan shoulders, nose twitching with annoyance. Hannibal only gave a hint of a smile and drew her on by the crook of her warm arm.

"Hannibal, we-"

A handful of glimmering, beaming faces waited upon their appearance, before the magnificent fountain and the many stone stairs to the Opera house. Anna staggered.

_'I know those faces. Hannibal's opera friends-'_  
Panic closed her throat as she flexed her fingers. _My ring, where is my ring? The whole point of tonight was to show it off._

"What's going on?" Marble eyes warily rose to the doctor's sharp face. Those full, impassive lips let nothing loose, but the slight wrinkle on either side of his eyes instantly gave him away. His long strides paused before the sparkling fountain, turning to face her with a growing smile. "Hannibal?"

Hands brushed across her shoulders, pulling away her coat.  
It was that woman with the baby doll voice and hair dyed younger, jubilant. Anna turned to Hannibal once more before he spoke:

"…I fell in love with her courage, her sincerity and her flaming self respect. And it's these things I'd believe in even if the whole world indulged in wild suspicions that she wasn't all she should be,"

Hannibal Lecter fell to one strong knee, catching her hand with both of his. His genuine smile lit the sky with stars, melted her until Anna Astor thought she would never be whole again. Her heart pounding loudly in her ears, nearly drowning the quote so familiar and beloved to her.

"…I love you, and that is the beginning, and end, of everything."

A heavy object now filled her palm, cold compared to the skin he had been gently caressing. When his hands fell away, her engagement was left glittering in the light. The warmth of his eyes made her knees weak.

"Will you marry me, Anna Astor?"

A pivotal moment of time, between taking the leap or keeping heels steady on the ground.

This was not a simple marriage of convenience, of losing their scent from Jack Crawford.

When she looked into his eyes, Anna Astor saw their life together.

Back arched, eyes closing as one single tear escaped into the safety of the crescent scar beneath her lashes.

Startling blue eyes slowly opened, letting loose a smile so breathtaking Hannibal's chest tightened painfully.

"…You quote Fitzgerald in your proposal, and you honestly believe I could ever say no?"

No one had ever seemed quite so young and in love as the man rose, perfect in time as the woman fell into his arms, laughing and crying and pressing her lips to his.

* * *

"-really complete one another; Hannibal, I've never seen you so happy-"

Anna only half-listened, warmed by the strong, protective arm fitted around her waist. She smiled, laughed at the correct times, only kept awake by the gentle squeezes Hannibal pressed into her skin. Those full lips brushed against her temple, stole her own whenever she glanced up.

Anna often questioned whether or not she was as before.  
If she truly hated and felt the way she did before her memory was erased.

_I am, I do. I hate these people. Their snide demeanor, their careless money, but-_  
_But I'll put up with them, for him. For Hannibal._

"Miss Astor?"

A woman in red, with doe eyes and a timid smile, stood before her. Anna Astor dreamily rose her eyebrows.

"I was asked to give this directly to you. A messenger was at the front entrance looking for you."

"Will or Jack, perhaps?" Hannibal had withdrawn from his opera chat, a smile still outlining his mouth as Anna took the envelope being offered. The woman disappeared with another finicky smile, returning to her date. Anna flipped the card over in her hand, curious.

In neat, small writing, the front read:

_To the happy couple._

Inside was a single Polaroid picture.

Her own young laughing face looked back up at her, in a field of wild grass and weeds. Dressed in a white lace dress, a brilliantly blonde child laughing in her arms.

A tall, rugged man had the side of her face in his hands, pressing a smiling kiss into her cheek.

She could feel him tense next to her, draw away. The piercing silence in her ears drowned the world with the sudden understanding.

"Gideon,"  
Anna swallowed, closed her eyes.  
"I need to see Gideon. Immediately."

"An-na, who is that in the photograph?"

Empty eyes stared at the picture, skin having lost its pallor. She was a mass of tense muscle, coiled too tightly, ready to snap at the slightest touch.

"Hannibal, take me to Gideon."

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/107593878570409633/

Ignore the jewelry, and that girl.


	48. Chapter 48

This is later than planned. I just spent two hours in the ER with my brother. Hurray...At least it's long? I need to hustle buns and get this show on the road! All reviews, followers, and favorites are friends of mine! I'm so very tired. I'll spell/grammar-check tomorrow. Er..._Later_ today.

-_M_

* * *

"My, my, Anna, aren't we all dressed up."

An elegant vision had appeared, masked with darkness by an obsidian evening gown, bare arms crossing as she drank in the man safe behind glass.

"How did you do it?"  
"Do what, my love?"

"The photograph," Anna Astor's mouth held no tension and amusement started to sheen her moonstone eyes. "How did you smuggle the photograph out and know where I would be?"

"You act as if these hollow walls could stop me from finding you, _Anna banana_."

He slapped a tuneless song on his knees and sucked in a bottom lip, glancing past her with risen eyebrows, sarcastic. "You even brought your fiancé to threaten me? I'm flattered."

"Why, then? Why send it to me?"

Abel Gideon inhaled as if smelling something intoxicating, relished in the scent, hands locking like clogs between his bent legs.

He appeared as he always had to her. Quiet, average. Calm. A man easily fitted into the background. It was an aspect that made him so unsuspecting and deadly.

"I simply wanted to remind you of the last time you trusted a chivalrous, handsome man, and let him in your life." A wise face again rose arched brows over light eyes.

"Your only safe-hold was lost, your sister slaughtered."

"Daryl Fahnstrom was neither chivalrous nor did I find myself attracted to him. He was a drunkard and a liar who appealed to Margaret's trusting nature before he dismantled her."

"And you in turn savagely attacked him the instant you stumbled upon the scene, rather than follow a procedure more accustomed to your killing style. Tell me, was the fit of rage for the sake of your sister, or your disdain for having been fooled?"

"…Funny how I always slip between the cracks though, isn't it," A pearly smile swept in below her frosting orbs. Gideon's last comment had stiffened her joints, tightened the skin stretched across the bones of Anna's austere face. "My parents, Margaret. _You_. So why do you believe this will be any different?"

"Because he's more cunning than you. This is a man who, if pitted against you, will win."

The adamantine woman shattered like waves upon rock, staggering in surprise. A sharp inhale ignited her throat before rerouting her emotional reactions.

Hannibal Lecter had stood as unnoticed as Abel Gideon could: a quiet, impeding form lingering just near enough to be a threat, far enough not to bother their conversation. Upon mentioning him the hair on Anna's neck, arms, had stood on end, suddenly aware once more of his vehement magnetism, electrifying intensity, tied like spider's web to every line of her body.

He was always there. Always watching, observing. Curious of every action and consequence, silently persuading.

Judging.

With a deadened, dreamy calm the woman turned to her fiance, and smiled.

"Please, would you give us a moment?"

* * *

"I came as soon as I heard she was here."

"I appreciate your urgency, Dr. Chilton, but I believe they are almost finished."

The man made Anna's skin crawl and Hannibal empathized with ease.

Greedily watching the slender body stand before Gideon's cell. The way her arms fell to her sides, unconsciously shifting weight from one heel to the next. Anna Astor appeared rather amused, fingers grazing her hair before resting against her throat. The gleam on her hand caught the dimmed florescent lights and Hannibal allowed a curve of a smile.

_"This is a man who, if pitted against you, would win."_

* * *

"I haven't danced in years, Abel. How can you expect me to do this?"

"You will perform for me, or I'll kill them both."

A woman, suddenly so relaxed and at ease, snorted. "You just claimed he was smarter than me, and now you're saying _you_ will kill him?"

"If you weren't in love with him, you could kill Hannibal Lec-ter. You've let emotion cloud your senses, and that comp-li-cates the sit-u-a-tion."

"You do not believe he's in love with me, as well?"

Gideon's smile was charming and boyish. He stood, hands clasped before him, and drew close to the glass.

"There isn't a man on earth free of your allure, Anna, but which do you assume to be stronger: his love for you, or his need to kill?"

"...If I perform again, Abel, and on the very day you insist on, I expect a full show,"

The devil smile curling his face, the way he inhaled her acceptance. A wave of adrenaline shivered her spine, raised her chin.

"Have I ever disappointed you, my darling apprentice?"

* * *

"Dr. Chilton, what a pleasant surprise," Feminine voice milky, smiling with a learned grace. An exuberant Chilton rose abruptly to his feet.

"Anna, how often must I insist on you calling me-"

"Dr. Astor." Her smile thinned with the correction. "In a professional facility I would appreciate the use of my title."

"Soon it will be Drs. Hannibal and Anna Lecter," The deep timbre of an accented voice revealed. Dark eyes caught the sudden release of tension throughout Anna's expression and the Lithuanian stood, surrounding her cold hand with his own.

"You're engaged? Well, congratulations," Chilton laughed despite himself. "Am I invited?"

Of course," Dr. Astor replied.

"What is a celebration without friends for dinner?"

* * *

It was very odd, sitting in the passenger seat of his very own car.

A pensive brunette had politely asked to drive, window cracked and elbow on the rim, unconsciously rubbing knuckles across her upper lip.

_Abel loved me more than his urge to kill; he proved it by the erasing of my memories. He even went to prison without a breath of incrimination towards my name. Never in my life has Abel knowingly put me in harm's way. Does he have a point about Hannibal?_

"…I'm going to rip out Catharine Caldwell's uterus and add it to the donor list under a deceased name, and replace hers with one of the same blood type into her corpse. I will more than likely receive it and, eventually, be able to have children once more."

Anna felt a stolid gaze slowly find her face, absorb the dimples that pocked her cheeks whenever she frowned.

"I have a black semi-kitten, named Othello. He's very well-mannered and I won't leave him behind. In the future I probably won't ever wear clothes when I'm fixing my hair and make-up, save underwear, I never wear pants when I'm home between the time of 9 P.M. until right before leaving the house unless there are planned visitors, and I pee in the shower two-fifths of the time. I'm just telling you, now, before we go through with this. The point of Abel sending that picture was to reinstall my distrust of everyone in my life, especially you. I can fully understand the advantages over Crawford this would create, but I can't simply marry you_ just_ for that sort of gain. I'm too much of a hypocritical woman. I could only marry someone who also cared and wanted me. Who needs me."

The dreaded silence encased the car smoothly riding the streets. Her knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, breath locked in the chamber of her throat.  
Anna Astor could just see the slight, perfect crinkle of Hannibal Lecter's eyes.

"...You urinate in the shower?"

"Is that really all you got out of that?" She asked, exasperated. "Over a third of a household's water supply is used through the flushing of the toilet, which can take up to seven gallons per flush-"

An-na," The suited doctor interrupted, chuckling. For once Hannibal Lecter seemed to relax, molding to the passenger seat of his own car, manicured hair cushioned by the headrest. Even in the lush car he seemed cramped, long slender legs bent almost uncomfortably to fit. With a steady breath, brown eyes returned to gaze through the windshield.

"I will not object to your cat, so long as it is indeed well-behaved and trained. I look forward to your nudity and bear no ill-will to your distaste of bottoms. I can also live with your…Unique shower habit, so long as it never happens in my presence," A grin tugged her mouth against the willpower fighting back, muscles softening throughout her body.

"And I will remind you every day, Anna Caterina Astor, if necessary, that I need and want nothing more than you by my side. That at the end of the day, it is you I want to come home to."

The reddening of her skin, the startled jump his words caused. A smile curved full lips, worn only for Anna. Her neck clenched with a swallow, car stalling in the protection of his driveway.

"When?" She asked quietly. "When did you know for sure?"

Orbs of life found hers, warmer than even the lines formed by his growing smile.

"When I witnessed the fear in your eyes upon entering my office the day Tobias Budge attacked us, and the relief that washed away your worries upon seeing me alive. When you threw your arms around my neck and quaked with such emotion I thought you would fall apart against my body. The moment you gasped my name as ecstasy riddled your body beneath mine. By the way you understand and complete me, fearlessly indulging my macabre addiction. When you told me you wanted a wreath of rue, and every time you look at me with that breathless, beautiful smile. You underestimate the power you have over me, An-na. You are my love and my friend. I could not hope for more."

Deflated, a boneless form on the cool leather her dress melted into, gaze unguarded and doe-eyed upon the man mere inches away.

"You've shattered me Dr. Lecter, into a million irreparable pieces." The breathless smile and voice, head lolling to face him in surrender. "_Je suis à toi_. I am yours."

"An-na, I have hardly shattered you. I've simply begun to loosen the walls."

* * *

"I can't do it."

"Yes, you can. You're stronger than you-"

"Don't pull that shit with me, Graham. You know what her expressions do to me,"

A scruffy face spread with a smirk as Will Graham urged her on by a gentle tug on a wiry arm.

"You had no problem inviting Beverly to dinner. How much different could Alana be?"

Anna's sharp face scoffed, fluffing brown hair around her face with the sudden pout of her bottom lip, blue eyes wide. "Oh, a _dinner_ party? Will _Hannibal_ be there? Is _Hannibal_ preparing the meal?" Alana Bloom's office came into view and Anna Astor promptly dug her heels into the floor. The curly-haired agent staggered, yanked by the immovable arm.

He had found her pacing the width of the hallway filled with specialist offices, muttering under her breath and meticulously avoiding cracks in the tile. His heart quickened and slowed at near the same time, grinning at her oblivious nature.

Will had helped her find and ask Beverly Katz, leaving the one mutual friend of all to be asked over.

The one Molly-Anna Astor seemed to have a most palpable distaste for.

"It will be over before you know it-" Will caught the claw hands flying about like an upset crab, dragged her forward. "-then you'll have a full bridal party or what...ev...er!"

They burst through the door with one final thrust, a torpedo of limbs and skin tumbling against a lean, halting back.

_He smells like a fevered mess of pine needles, and lye._

She inhaled the scent so deeply, paused in pulling away. _It isn't necessarily unpleasant-_

"Will! Dr. Astor, what are you doing here?"

_She's going to persist in calling me that from now on, I bet. Just to try and get under my skin._

It would work, much to her unpleasant realization. Her conscious took in Will Graham pointedly boring a hole into her temple. Anna forced a polite smile, mustering the best façade capable in the current situation.

"Alana, I've come to ask if you would join me for dinner, tonight."

"That sounds rather nice. Will Hannibal be preparing the meal?"

Anna shot Will a look only to find his gaze averted to the floor, attempting to hide the exceptional grin cracking his face. Astor barely contained a groan.

"I will, actually. I haven't had a chance to show off my own culinary skills. My parents were Parisians, from the very city people call the heart of fine dining. Dr. Lecter will not be joining us."

Alana peered up at the brunette so rigidly standing before her.  
Dr. Astor looked quite odd in fitted skinny jeans and a grey scoop-necked sweater, wearing tan oxfords and hair waving over bony shoulders. It was the first time the psychologist had seen her look remotely plain.

"Will, are you going?"  
Caught off-guard, the man looked up with an open mouth, beginning to shake his head. Anna cut him off quickly.

"-Yes. Wouldn't want a full house of hens, would we?" Anna nudged Will with a wicked grin. "You can play the fox tonight, William. It will be fun."

"Loads," He muttered. No one seemed to acknowledge his statement as Alana stood and trailed to the duo.

"Alright, I'll be there. What time?"

"Seven sharp. Beverly has my address; perhaps you could carpool."

The agent wasted little time in making her escape, leaving Graham to produce excuses and good-byes.

She stood, a baby-lipped minx outside the building, brightening upon his return.

"I did it! You promised to take me fishing if I cooperated and didn't ridicule Alana on her treatment of you. I succeeded."

"You also roped me into going as well, so I think we're even,"

A scoffing pout made him laugh, dodging her slap. "Tomorrow we can. It's already past one and if you're anything like Hannibal, it's going to take you the rest of the afternoon to prepare this meal."

"You would be surprised."

Will paused, gazing curiously at her. Anna returned the look with a risen brow.

"Anna," He began slowly, a smile pressed to the corner of his mouth, "-do you speak with an accent?"

"I don't understand the question."

"Your parents were French, abundantly so. Surely they spoke their native language at home, if not nearly all the time." Anna's head tilted in a way that reminded him of Hannibal, though her eyes were shining brighter than before.

"That's right."

"I find it hard to believe you in turn would not speak with a French emphasis. So, you either fight every word to produce a more American sound, or you've outgrown your French drawl. Which is it?"

Anna Astor's face broke into a long, winding smile, revealing the pearly essence of teeth, the slightly crooked twist of the bottom row.

"You 'ave revealed me, William." The breathy words were short-vowelled, unable to produce the hissing 'h' of words. Will Graham could only grin with his correct realization. "I ahm most abundantly French, deep down. S'e accent I speak wis' is a façade,"

Her mouth puckered, kissing every word that swept out. Anna licked the bow of her lip, ducking as she passed him. In a more-common voice she called out, "Come along! You said yourself it would take most of the afternoon for me to cook. You're wasting precious time."

He walked her to the sleek Maserati, shaking his head.  
"I still can't believe how much you'd belt out for a car you hardly ever drive."

"It's the first purchase I ever spent a large sum of money on. My one indulgence." Anna shrugged. "I used every penny from Gideon's psychiatric practice to pay for it. I co-authored a book on murder victims and how to overcome the fear and grief of the experiences, and joined the medical force. I never took leisure time, I never went out with friends or colleagues. I was a very focused person and found no benefit in wasting time with others."

"What changed?"

Azure eyes rose under dark lashes. A soft expression had began to unwind the tension coiled so tightly in her skin from the past few days.

"I finally found the right group of acquaintances to merge into. People who made me feel I wasn't the only one with such abnormalities in personality. At last I feel safe in who I am and knowing it is accepted." Anna stretched, laughing. "I sound like some pious old nun, spewing this shit."

"It isn't shit," Will argued quietly as Anna straightened. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"The same applies to you, Will. Surely you must know by now that we all care deeply for you and your well being." Her hand shadowed his cheek, hesitant.

"Just…Just be careful, okay?"

"You're a doctor; I'm sure you could put me back together."

She sighed at his lightened joke, shaking her head.

"You ah 'opeless."


	49. Chapter 49

"Will, for Christ's sake, do _not_ touch it with your bare hands-"

"I'm sorry! I don't know how else to get it _just parfait_-"

"Are you mocking me? It's preparing _food_, not open-heart surgery-"

_"Both of which you can perform!"_

An impatient sigh warmed his bare forearm, deft fingers slipping under to cover his hands and better work the food he so miserably attempted. The ever-lingering scent of peonies emanating from her skin and the mild sea salt fragrance of her hair pushed the waft of ripe fruit away, distracting Will Graham from the task at hand.

"It's a melon baller. It's like scooping ice cream- how hard is this?" The woman sighed, training his grip with a few more quick flicks of her wrist before releasing him. The doorbell suddenly caught her attention. Blue eyes swiveled to Will, dressed so formally in a button-down shirt and dress pants. She grinned.

"They're here."

Anna Astor opened the door only to have her breath catch like a noose, heart stuttering.

Before her stood not Alana Bloom and Beverly Katz,

But Lily Astor.

* * *

"You recognized me," A soft, young voice escaped the blonde girl through a cherry mouth.

She smiled in a way that reminded Anna of herself.

"Good. I wasn't sure if you would or not. I've grown quite smart-mouthed and tall over the past two years, since your personality was altered."

Her aunt, always so elegant, willow frame dressed in a black swoop-necked dress fitted and crossed at the waist by a thick white tie, a bow just apparent behind her. The natural waved curl of her hair fell loose among her tense shoulders, framing a shocked, wide-eyed face. Lily sighed gently.

_She's still so beautiful, but afraid. Please, please don't reject me Aunt Anna._

"Lily," She breathed.

Ice shattering through her veins, pulsing the sudden warmth of the euphoric recollection of memories and love she had once harbored for her fair, blonde, awkward, blue-eyed, beautiful niece. "_Lily_,"

"You remember...me? I hoped so desperately that you would. Oh, I'm so happy!" The girl gasped, caught between tears and laughter as she was suddenly crushed against the wiry body of Anna Astor's.

"Cecelia was afraid you wouldn't. She almost forbid me to come."  
Anna pulled her away, brows furrowed.

"I'm sorry, so sorry for worrying you and Cecelia. Please, forgive me," Her voice, low and somber, pleaded. Lily laughed as Anna pulled her close once more, swaying with a sigh.

"Of course I forgive you. I'm more angry over the fact that you're _engaged_ and didn't feel the need to ring and tell me-"

"Lily?"

Twin eyes jumped to the sidewalk, still blissfully tangled in the other's embrace. Beverly Katz, Alana Bloom, and Abigail Hobbs now stood before the large stone house, one girl in particular colored by shock. Lily grinned, slipping from Anna's arms to tackle her.

"Abigail! What brilliant timing! Are you all here for dinner?"

"I thought it would be a nice meal change for Abigail, to join us," Alana Bloom explained to Dr. Astor. The woman simply smiled, holding open her front door. Even Lily was tricked by the cool shield Anna Astor placed around her like a second skin, hiding her raging annoyance at a surprise guest.

"The more the merrier. Please, come in."

* * *

"Did you know she was coming?" Will Graham murmured as Anna filled the silver platter in his arms. Beach waves shook with her impassive face. "-Then how did you know to serve these?"

He gestured to the crystal pitchers, one of sparkling blueberry mint lemonade, the other a fragrant _mariage freres_ iced tea with glossy peach slices swimming like fish through the liquid. Anna allowed a small smile, adding glass tumblers and two plates to the tray.

"Because I knew Alana would bring an element of surprise. Why bring a bottle of Chardonnay when you can bring a mentally-conflicted psych patient?"

Four sets of eyes rose upon their entrance, an exuberant smile beneath one lively pair.

"Ah! I was hoping for this," Lily praised, sitting straight in her chair. The blonde grinned, turning to Abigail. "Aunt Anna makes the absolute best of all Parisian foods, including beverages. Pick the blueberry-mint. It's my favorite."

"Will, I didn't know you were here too," Abigail acknowledged after receiving a sparkling glass of lemonade. Her eyes popped with the sensual flavor caressing her tongue. "Um, is Hannibal here?"

"He had a work date," Anna answered simply. Porcelain plates fell to each guest before she gracefully landed in a chair, unfolding the thick cloth napkin and lying it across her lap.

"_Melon au jambon de bayonne_: melon with raw cured ham, a rosemary butter-topped _brioche_, and grilled asparagus _tartines_ with fresh ricotta and scallions. The baguette slices are covered with a mixture of onion soup ingredients, brought down to portions fit for each bite."

"Oh my _god_," Beverly groaned, biting into the _brioche_, "-why haven't you invited me over before? This is heaven. This is sex- this is _better_ than sex-"

"_Beverly_," Alana reprimanded with a glance to the teenage girls. She noted both absorbed in their appetizers, unaware of anything but learning the quickest way to scarf food into their mouths. Anna beamed.

"Will helped, actually."

"Right, so if you find anything horrible, you know who to blame."

Anna sighed at his pessimism. Lilly chuckled from across the table, fighting Beverly's fork from spearing food off her plate.

"You should feel lucky Anna even let you in her kitchen. She never accepts help."

"I think she ran out of time, which is why she turned to me," Will offered humbly as Anna rose from her chair, returning with five shot glasses containing three vibrant colors.  
"On the bottom is ginger yogurt, the center a pea soup, and topped with saffron and cardamom foam. A tie-over until the next course," Anna quipped before leaving to produce the next main course. Abigail's eyes were caught on Will, the others grossly surprised by the delicious "tie-over."

"How long have you been over here?"

"About an hour and a half before everyone was scheduled to arrive."

"Does Hannibal know you were here?"

Will Graham stared at the Hobbs survivor, surprised.

"I didn't go out of my way to call and inform him, no. Why?"

The eldest teenager shrugged under their careful scrutiny. The younger woman to her right did not appear to enjoy this questioning any more than Graham.

"Just wondering."

"Ah, _Canard au sang,_" Lily broke the awkward conversation with a silky tone, marble eyes fixated on the woman pushing a cart with numerous instruments into the room. Anna Astor mirrored the girl's smile, stopping alongside the table. A large burgundy body sat upon a wooden chopping block, parallel to a clear bowl and a large, sterling machine.

"_Canard au sang_ is produced by strangling a duck to retain its blood and partially roasted, with the breast and legs removed," The brunette began, slicing the meat into large slabs with a frightening grace.

"-It's liver is removed, ground, and seasoned. After the best cuts of the duck have been taken-" Anna lifted the carcass and placed it into the silver machine. "-it is crushed and pressurized to produce a broth of blood and other juices. This is added to the liver, cognac, and other seasonings prior to being cooked with the breast and served together."

The performance lasted nearly half an hour before every plate was filled, sided with balsamic peppers and a earthy salad doused in goat cheese and a creamy cilantro-lime dressing.

With the finale introduction- Lemon _ricotta_ and almond cakes, beautifully fixed like scales of a fish, and ripe _Myrtille_ blueberries, bursting with sweet juice, artfully cooked into a meringue, topped with buttery, whipped almost-cream, Alana Bloom finally succumbed to Anna Astor. Will sent the slender chef a look and she nodded absently, clearing her throat.

"I thought this would be the best setting, after everyone was so weighted by the heavy Parisian food that running would not be an option," Anna began with a wry smile, "-to ask if you, Alana and Beverly, would be willing to be my bridesmaids-"

"Will there be food? Your food?" Brown eyes lifted to stare hungrily at Anna. "I'll be your personal monkey if so."

"_I'm_ her personal monkey, thank you," Lily's young face beamed at her aunt. "Right?"

"I would like you to be my maid of honor, if that's what you mean. Yes."  
"Does that mean I'll walk down with the best man? Is it you, Will?"  
"Yeah."  
"Of course I'll be a bridesmaid, Anna! I'm flattered. Just don't make me wear yellow."  
"Why? I bet you look great in yellow-"

"No, it's horrid with my complexion. What about blue, or orange?"

"Blue is nice, but orange is absolutely atrocious. How about a soft lavender?"

"Ohh, _that_ would be pretty-"

"So this is really happening?"

The room, so jovial and filled with playing bickering just moments earlier, fell into a stiff silence.

It was the question, but more importantly Alana Bloom's tone.  
Attempting incredulous, though obvious in the scathing distaste she clearly felt.

Anna did not look away.

"Yes," She answered.

Alana lost the war, the first to look away. Lily shook her head impatiently.

"Will you be a bridesmaid, or not?"

"I…Yes. Yes, of course."

* * *

"Zank you for zis, William," He grinned at her inability to pronounce a 'th' sound in her native accent, standing cross-armed under the entrance of her home. His hands were hidden deep in dress pant pockets and he shifted weight from one leg to the other.

"It wasn't a problem. I'm quite proud of how you handled Alana."  
Anna scowled, nose wrinkled with distaste.  
"I know it was hard for you."

"She is nothing compared to Lounds, at least. Sitting you beside me was brilliant, though," Anna smiled. "She couldn't keep her eyes off you."

"I'm sure I will get another lecture of how she wants to be with me, but can't due to my instability. I wonder if the matter will be increased or decreased with this performance." Will commented dryly. Anna chuckled, leaned against the door's frame.

"I think you're quite normal around me, Will. You make _me_ look unstable."

It was his turn to laugh, a white-toothed, bouncing noise that ushered her own.

"Anna, you're probably the most sane person I know."

They quieted, Will Graham watching Anna with an unfathomable expression.

At last he smiled, turned to the dark night.

"Good-night, William."

"Good-night, Mol',"

"He knows your _real name_?" A voice broke through, an incredulous screech as Anna returned to the house. She kicked off the aching black stilettos and brushed past the disbelieving blonde.

"So?"

"_So_, you never tell _anyone_ about that. It used to embarrass you to no end," Lily countered, following her. "-and now you have no problem telling FBI agents?"

"He's hardly an agent, less so than I am even. Besides, Will is my friend. One who knows what you and Abigail did," Anna sniffed. She stood in the middle of her room, stripping from the cocktail dress and tugging shorts and a sports bra from a drawer. Anna dressed quickly, Lily watching with wary eyes.

"He knows, and didn't tell Mr. Crawford?"

"That's right."

Lily contemplated this.

"…What are you doing?"

"There is a ballet I intend to dance in fast approaching. Auditions are next week and I'm afraid I might be rusty-"

"You're dancing again?" The blonde interrupted sharply. A delicate chin rose languidly, initiating one simple nod.

"Yes."

She knew there must a spark, a reason.

"Why?"

Blue eyes so like her own closed, a tone of amusement tickling her lips.

"Gideon is going to escape. His one request to ensure no "slips" in his sanity was a performance. Now, I'm not overly frightened of what he would do if I _didn't_ do as he asked, but…It should be fun." Anna looked to her niece with a sly gleam.

"It will be a night to remember, forever."

Lily inhaled deeply, exhaled a breathless blonde smile of excitement.

"We're going to have so much _fun_, Annie. I'm going to wear you absolutely _ragged_."

* * *

_She was running._

_So fast, hard, bobbing up and down with the weight in her arms. _

_"You have to let it go, An-na. Let it all go,"_

_I can't, I can't._

_The faceless man was suddenly before her, tall and impeding. Breath catching, she tightened her grip on the breathing form in her arms, relentless._

_Heavy, it was so heavy in her arms._

_"You must let go, An-na. Our love will not survive what you so desperately hold on to."_

_The thing writhed in her arms, and stilled. _

_It was not a dead child in her hold,_

_But a lamb._

* * *

Anna Astor shifted, conscious stirring. A heavy, warm weight was upon her, swallowing her whole. Panic rose and her body tensed as a sharp face nuzzled her neck, kissed her skin. "_An-na_,"

"Hannibal," She breathed, a deflating balloon upon realization. Her eyes closed, wrapping an arm around his neck. "You frightened me, lord. What time is it?"

"Three in the morning. I've grown too accustomed to sleeping with you in my arms and cannot find peace without your presence, it seems," The silk button-down she wore easily fell apart with his expertise, full lips pressed into the hollow of her clavicle before trailing lower. Anna was wide awake as clever fingers slipped into her silk bottoms, finding the bundle of nerves already greedy for his touch. A velvet tongue rolled over the peak of her breast, back arching with the sudden bite of pain his teeth left.  
She could just make out those bright, dancing brown eyes, a sinful smile licked with delight on his face. "You're so warm and wet already, _mylimasis_. Were you expecting someone?"

"No," Anna breathed, eyes blissfully closing when two deft fingers curled into her. She swallowed, caught frenzied thoughts to speak again. "You just have a very powerful magnetism over me, Hannibal."

The dream sudden rose to the top, lingering in her conscious, souring the core of her stomach.

Mild bemusement looked up when a shaky hand caught his wrist, stopping his decadent stroking. A pale brunette swallowed again, trying to sooth the unease in the pit of her belly.

"P-Please, please just make love to me, Hannibal."

"Anna," He murmured, surprised.

The twitching smile forcing her mouth to curve was enough for him to understand her sudden need, no matter what the cause or reason. A welcoming warmth filled her ribcage as full lips molded to hers gently. Hannibal freed them both of clothing, and gently began the breakdown of their fears and carnal desire.

* * *

The large, glass building that curved around both Anna and Lily's room was a green house.

One window open to the sanctuary, protected by a black screen. It filtered the bugs, crickets, but not the gentle noise so accustomed with summer.

Anna Astor had never been quite as relaxed as Hannibal found her now, languid and pressed against his body still misted with sweat, lying on their backs with a soft head of hair beside his, snug in his bent arm. The first lights of dawn peaked the horizon, close to breaking.

"Did something happen over dinner?"

"I'm just tired," The dark-haired body heaved a sigh, running fingers across his chest, tickled his forearms. "Since visiting Gideon, I've returned to practicing ballet once more."

"May I ask why?"

"He expects a show, a little over a month from now. There will be one soon not far from here, and if I desire a high-ranked part I need to be in pristine shape. Auditions are fast approaching." Anna let out a breath that vibrated her lips. She faced him, lying on her side and kissing the bones of his face. Hannibal's skin wrinkled, turning to catch the soft mouth with his own.

"Hannibal, Hannibal," Anna Astor cooed. The ample chest her head fell upon rumbled with a chuckle, a loose arm molding across her waist.

She fell asleep to the soft heartbeat under her ears, his fingers running through her hair.


	50. Chapter 50

She was quite surprised by his insatiable appetite.

Hannibal Lecter was the most formal, chivalrous man she knew, and yet he showed no restraint when it came to pleasuring her body.

There were the tender times of simple love making,  
And then there was the ruthless, primal fucking.

_This_, the next morning, hidden behind a bedroom, a bathroom, and a shower curtain, was _fucking_.

"I…need…coffee," Anna Astor panted, rising to gelatin legs and smoothing her hair. It was satisfying to see the always-calm doctor breathing just as heavily, swollen mouth open and eyes lightly closed. Anna smirked. "I wouldn't say that was a very bad wake-up call."

"I would prefer it for future reference," Hannibal answered with a wicked grin of his own. It was that boyish charm, always so hidden, that struck her. A wave of hair sent rain against him, bent at the waist and wrapping a towel around the sopping mass.

"An-na," He groaned, drawing closer. "do you believe bending over like that is helping your cause?"

Startling eyes rose, curled lips sneaky. "I can't spend anymore time in here, Hannibal, I simply cannot." She backed into the counter, cornered by his six foot height. Anna stood on _pointe_ to kiss him. "I have a Doctor's appointment. Hurry and start the coffee while I figure out where I've left the clothes you brought before,"

She admired his backside as he sauntered away, only a towel covering precious goods. Anna was still in a daze over the perfect way his shoulders rippled with each step when a soft vibration caught her ears.

_I presume we will meet at the same time as always, Hannibal. _

With no signature, Anna had to check the contact information.

_Dr. Bedelia Du Maurier. _

* * *

"She keeps the coffee beans in the refrigerator."

A tall, impeding man with damp hair slicked immaculately, froze.

Turning to find a pale, rabbit-faced girl grinning madly.

Cerulean eyes looked him up and down, flicking amusedly back to his.

"Hello, Uncle Hannibal."

The unaccustomed male cleared his throat. While taken by surprise, Hannibal Lecter seemed disturbing calm. "Good morning, Lily. Does An-na-"

"She knows I'm here. The fact that _you_ didn't, however, only makes this morning much more grand." Lily pushed a waft of yellow hair from her forehead with one hand and popped a raspberry in her mouth with the other. "I'd also appreciate some warning next time, though. While I don't understand your Lithuanian, I got the gist of your ecstasy-fueled moans."

"Yet An-na's did not bother you?" Hannibal showed no embarrassment, fluidly filling Anna's coffee pot and beginning the brew. "Does that mean you've grown accustomed to hers, making this a usual occurrence?"

"I've spent most of the past few years in France. Just because I go to an all-girl's school doesn't mean I don't get out," Lily answered with a smile. "And no. Having men over isn't a usual occurrence here, at all. Anna's only ever dated two men seriously-"

"_Thank you_, Lily, but that's enough of my life." A blur of red and white breezed in, dark hair pulled tight in a chignon, hands piercing an earring through her right lobe.

"Auntie! You're already dressed," Lily frowned, looking up to the older Astor while nimble fingers stole fruit from her plate. "I thought we were going to work on the wedding today,"

"I have a doctor's appointment, and some other things to deal with. I've made you a list of what to buy, and three locations I've scouted online for the wedding. Hannibal can take you, can't you darling?"

A coldness slated her eyes as Anna smiled, taking the warm mug of coffee from his hands. Brown eyes watched her, mouth quirking south. Anna looked back to Lily. "Just make sure he's back in time for his…previous engagements. Alas, I have to go. Behave! Get everything on that list. My credit card is in the envelope,"

Lily gave Hannibal a blunt stare as Anna Astor fled the room, moving like storm clouds.

"Are you going to go after her, or what?"

* * *

"An-na,"

Catching one woolen limb with ease, slowing her steps out of the great stone house. A long coat had engulfed her sheer white top and red pencil skirt and leathery gloves absorbed the early morning sun. Anna turned slowly to reveal her lifeless expression.

"Who is Dr. Maurier? And why, may I ask, are you meeting her at your _usual time_?"

Anna watched his sharply-edged face for signs of emotion, guilt. Hesitant red lips opened before closing once more.

"Is she a patient of yours?"  
"No."  
"A colleague then? You've worked together, perhaps?"  
"Something like that."

"Something like that," Anna repeated. Hannibal had not released her arm and she felt his fingers slowly tighten.

Gaze stern and intense, he commanded, "You will not look for or investigate her, An-na. Dr. Maurier is neither a threat nor a concern to you,"

"Is that so,"

A sarcastic tone colored the brunette, at last ripping her arm away. "Curious that you even have to disclose that, Hannibal. What are you meeting her for?" The familiar silence met her ears and she noted the vein becoming apparent across his temple, jaw clenched. _Why can't he just tell me?_

"I'm going to be late, I can't stand here waiting for you to-"

"Do you trust me?"

Startling eyes returned to him, mouth parted. Hannibal Lecter held the gaze with impervious calm, standing in her home with nothing but that same fucking towel.

Anna Astor refocused, calmed, swallowed.

"Yes."

"Then trust me when I say Dr. Maurier is no more a threat to you than any other typical woman off the street. She is an acquaintance I meet with once a week, for an hour. However, I cannot permit you to endanger her life."

"She's too important to you," Anna spoke, simply.  
Hannibal did not object.

"Dr. Maurier is nothing compared to what I feel for you, _gana An-na_." Long fingers caught her face, tilted up to his. Her eyes remained closed for a second more and she inhaled deeply, shoulders falling back, tension slipping away like water through a current.

When those bright orbs opened, the mask had returned.

"Will you be here when I come back?"  
"Yes, of course,"

A peach face nodded, leaned up to kiss him gingerly.

Anna Astor pulled away, stalking off to her car,

A thick cotton towel gripped tightly in her right hand.

* * *

"_No_, Abigail. The loose pearls are for the cylinder centerpieces. _Those_ are for the bouquets. Anna has to deliver them to the florist."

Lily Astor was matter-of-fact; a keen combatant in her field of expertise. Both girls pushed carts, Hannibal leisurely following, calling out every item on the cursive-written list. Anna had been just as precise, calculating expenses and discounts with every purchase she marked down.

"We've picked the place, met with the photographer, and bought all the decorations Anna's asked for. Is there anything else you can think of?" Rounded teeth nibbled the top of a pen, sat between the two at a small restaurant table. An untouched helping of shrimp pad thai sat before her while the duo ate fluidly. "We've accomplished a lot today. Anna will be happily surprised."

"What's her doctor appointment for, anyway?" Abigail didn't raise her gaze from her meal, though voice curious. Lily sighed.

"She wants to make sure her body can take dancing again. We don't want her to hemorrhage or something. I hope the doctor clears her, because she'll do it anyway if not."

"We wouldn't allow her to," Dr. Lecter spoke simply.

_As if you'd be capable of that._

"You would stop her from something she loves, if it brought harm to herself?"

"Yes."

"What if she was chosen for a dangerous FBI case? What is worse than chasing down the _Chesapeake Ripper_?"

"She is never alone on the case. Will and Jack are most assuredly always near, as well as an entire FBI team."

"What if she became pregnant?"

A sharp take of breath blew in before he could restrain himself. Lily was an attentive predator, head tilting with his slightest movement, face an unreadable mask.

She chose her words with the utmost care, knowing just how damaging they could be molded into. Hannibal Lecter's eyes cooled, mouth a firm spiraled line.

"In An-na's current state, her body would not be able to handle such an event. If she insisted on remaining pregnant, I would have no choice but to do everything in my power to either change her mind or end the pregnancy."

She didn't know whether to appreciate his severe protectiveness of Anna,

Or be frightened by it.

"I have to use the restroom. Excuse me." The wiry blonde abruptly stood, gliding through the restaurant as if she knew it by heart. Abigail watched her plate interestedly. It was the first time of the day that she found herself alone with Dr. Lecter. The young woman at last spoke what she itched to say since last night.

"Will Graham's in love with Anna, you know."

* * *

"Would you calm down? It's going to be _fine_."

"Hospital's freak me out."

"You won't die, I promise."

"_You_ might, though. Then what'll I do?"

An exaggerated sigh escaped pink lips, adjusting the hospital gown she found herself in. A shifty-eyed, nervous, plaid-wearing man paced the length of the room, arms tightly crossed and glasses reflecting the florescent light above. Anna cleared her throat.

"Why don't you sit down? I brought you to comfort _me_," She spoke with a crooked smile. Instantly Will Graham stopped, quickly turning to her.

"You're right. Please, forgive me-"

"How are we today, Ms. Astor?" Dr. Bedell's deep voice rang suddenly throughout the room. The woman, blonde and middle-aged with eyes the color of soft denim, averted from her patient and hung on Will for a moment. The two women exchanged a look and Bedell's tone changed.

"We would like to try a new epidural steroid, injected into your spinal chord. You might suffer from a slight light-headedness and mild confusion after, but it will help in the long run."

Will stood, useless, as his colleague and friend lay on her side, back revealed to a tall doctor iodizing her back. Aqua eyes rose and Anna smiled, holding her hand out to him.

Her fingers were cold in his, clenching when a two inch needle dug into her skin.

"All finished. The effect is nearly immediate; by the time she's dressed to leave, Lucy will already be in the sky with diamonds."

* * *

"Pardon me?"

A teenage girl with sleek dark hair shrugged her shoulders, masked with useless disinterest.

"He had dinner with us last night, and sat right next to her. He even helped her cook and serve. She laughs when he's around and Will glows like the Northern Lights."

A festering tick pulsed his temple, jaw clenching. Ambivalent eyes darted furiously from his sharp face to picking at her food, having noticed a dreamy blonde heading their way once more.

"What's wrong with you? Find a bug?" Gossamer fingers brushed his arm before Lily Astor fell into her chair. Her blue eyes had cleared out the uncertainty of before, now tranquil and calm, drained. She looked to Hannibal.

The man seemed to be having an internal battle, or either really needed to vomit.

"Uncle Hannibal?"

Lily felt a pang of fear when he looked at her.

Instantly she recoiled like a serpent, coldly glaring instead at Abigail. "What the fuck did you say to him, you stupid girl?"

She choked. Gasping for breath as a careless girl watched before losing interest. Her language, Abigail's sudden incapability to breath easily, hadn't affected Lecter in the slightest. The pristine doctor looked rather amused. Cerulean eyes viewed him skeptically.

"Judging by your rigid posture, it was about Anna. What else could make the ever-reserved Dr. Lecter so on edge?" It was a silky, sneering tone never heard from the slender young woman. Abigail shivered, still in shock at the nearly instantaneous change within her friend. The two seemed oblivious of her.

"And, from your expression trying to fight it, you're jealous."

Her face dipped momentarily, smoothing her golden hair.

The cynical, entertained face of an Astor returned to him, a contradicting smirk upon her lips.

"So, you've been told about Will Graham."

* * *

Lily.

pinterest dot com /pin/337277459564151416/


	51. Chapter 51

I thought I already posted chapter 50, but I forgot to add it to the folder. Nice. So two for one right away! I love all reviews, favorites, and followers. I will positively shrivel up and die with the season finale tomorrow. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself.

-_M._

* * *

"I CAUGHT ONE! AH! AH! WILLIAM, 'ELP ME! 'ELP ME!"

It was fortunate she had wanted to fish rather than hunt.

There wouldn't be an animal in the world oblivious to Anna Astor's loud, screaming laughter every three seconds.

The always so formal and calculating woman had been reduced to no more than a dreamy-eyed teenager, swaying to noiseless music and laughing at everything and anything. She slipped on the ice and squealed, bursting into giggles when lean arms caught the dark head about to rupture against the ice.

Clear blue eyes peeped up at him, smile maddening.

"William, I-I s'ink we 'ad better go-Where is my fish?!" Her fluid accent flew up an octave, mouth popping and stammering on unbalanced legs to frantically search. Cheek muscles fought hard to not grin before Will Graham released the tension, shaking his head.

"It must have gotten away, Anna."

Startling marble eyes pierced his face, jaw unhinged with the most unbelievable shock.

"_Fils d'un chien! __Bâtards_! Where is my gun-"

"I think we've had enough fishing, Anna!" Will caught her vying hands quickly, multitasking in dragging her along and picking up equipment. Anna Astor followed lazily, expression pensive.

It had been two hours since her steroid shot and the symptoms still hadn't seemed to worn off.  
She was jubilant and bubbly, showing no restraint in speaking her mind (_"Is z'at her real 'air color? 'ow atrocious. William, never dye yours. Ever."_) to spewing random, senseless declarations (_"I love popsicles! LOVE."_). Anna Astor tunelessly sang and danced to every song his radio produced, and demanded his undivided attention.

It was like baby-sitting an overly-sensual child.

"What are we going to do now, Willy-William?" Her breathy Parisian drawl sent a shiver trickling down his spine. She swung their hands jovially, enjoying the crisp winter air. He feared in letting go, assuming she would surely bolt to befriend a cluster of squirrels or pet a raccoon carcass.

"I think it's about time to take you home, Anna. Lily is still here, right?"

"She went shopping with 'annibal for z'e wedding propaganda I 'ad no desire to look for."

"Propaganda?"

Anna waved her fingers and frowned, as if her word choice made perfect sense. She hollowed her cheeks suddenly to gape like a fish, watching herself in the window's reflection. The brunette abruptly broke into a peal of laughter.

"I ahm afraid of being silly around 'anni-bal."

A bearded face twisted to her and Anna laughed again. "Your facial 'air is so bizarre, William, and I do not know v'y you insist on wearing glasses. Your eyes are as shiny as pennies-"

"What do you mean, you're afraid to be silly around Hannibal?"

Anna looked offended at his interruption, brows furrowing. Will flexed pale fingers over the steering wheel, trying to sound friendlier. "Anna, you act silly around me all the time. Why would you be different around Hannibal?"

"'E's not like you, William. 'Anni-bal is aristocratic. He likes opera, and wine," Her head tilted thoughtfully. "I enjoy z'ose z'ings, but I like letting loose too. I like squabbling and playing games and dancing and singing 'orribly. If I sang 'ow I do in your car, 'Anni-bal would probably lock me in a freezer." She sighed.

"I feel z'at I must choose between myself. To be with the one I love, I must sacrifice a large part of my personality forever."

"But what if you began to resent him for it?"

Anna Astor looked at him suddenly, a beaming smile igniting her face.

"Then I would kill him."

* * *

"I don't think Anna is aware of it, so we have to be careful."

"I believe you underestimate you Aunt, Lily. She is very intuitive and judging by Will's actions, he has been as subtle as a gun,"

A cherry mouth sighed, bouncing on her toes. Bright eyes caught the tall man joining her at the rear of the car, popping the trunk. When Lily grinned Hannibal Lecter suddenly felt the urge to smile back, caught by her magnetism.

"Aunt Anna can hardly believe _you're_ in love with her, and you proposed."

Skinny arms shot past his, snaking through the handles of several bags. An amused Lecter followed the commanding teenager towards the house, a heavy box of centerpieces in tow. "My aunt doesn't have many friends, at all. My mom told me once that she never really did. Will is good for Anna. So long as she doesn't know he has stronger feelings for her, it should be fine. Will Graham isn't the type to act-"

Lily's words fell dead upon entering their living room.

"Will, what a surprise," A deep, accented voice, grim in tone, acknowledged. The special agent sat slumped on a cream Victorian couch, one arm holding the weight of his head, the other gingerly placed over the slender form lying across his.

Anna Astor lay, legs tangled together down the couch, face masked by wavy tangled hair and bird arms, in the lap of Will Graham.

Mirrored eyes opened, a finger quickly rising to his mouth.

"She just fell asleep minutes ago."

A strong grip had barred the crook of Hannibal's arm, holding him back as a graceful blonde breezed forward. Lily lightly frowned, brushing her fingers across Anna's warm face.

"What's wrong with her? What did the Doctor say?"

"I think her tests were fine, but they injected a steroid into her lumbar region. It must have been a heavy dose or something, because Anna was worse than a drunkard after."  
Lily giggled, sitting in the curve of the brunette's body. She smoothed the windblown hair from the slobbering, slack face. "She had me meet her at your house, and drive her to the hospital-"

"Thank you for looking after her," His voice was cordial but clipped, striding forward. Lily moved just in time: Hannibal bent and swept Anna up in one easy move, her limp body cradled and belittled by his ample form. A tight-lipped smile gratified Will of his troubles.

"V-at…Why am I so 'igh-" A groggy mumble broke the hard silence, arching in the air. New eyes were suddenly upon his face, absorbing every tightened inch of his skin. Anna Astor grew animatedly alarmed. "'Anni-bal?"

"_Tout va vian, Anna_." The woman's gaze tore from Hannibal to find the French speaker. Lily grinned, assuring her aunt of their safety. "-_Vous avez ete sous sedation. Oui?_"

"_Oui_," Anna rubbed her eyes. "Yes. Did you- Did I-" She let out an aggravated sigh.

"I could really use a drink."

* * *

They sat, bare-footed and dressed in soft shorts and her old school tees, licking ice cream from silver spoons.

Make-upless, hair lazily piled on their crowns. The scar curved across the bone of her eye was apparent without the covering of beige foundation, differing their peachy skin. "You really don't remember?"

"I remember some things. I went fishing, I think. I couldn't control my accent. I may be banned from the hospital cafeteria," A brown-eyed gaze struck her from behind the counter. Anna smiled sheepishly before a flash of the morning returned. "Don't you have an appointment or meeting to go to?"

"It is of little importance," Hannibal brushed off, returning to sit at the head of the table with a canister of ice cream and spoon in hand. The eldest Astor watched in disbelief as the pristine doctor added the carton of ice cream to the mix and dug his spoon into another. Ripe lips opened and accepted the lump of green mint dessert. Lily beamed.

_Did Hannibal Lecter, the most uptight, well-mannered man of Baltimore, just eat directly from the carton?_

"I really missed you today," She blurted inelegantly.  
A sheen of color was obvious without the shield of make-up as Anna Astor ducked her head miserably. His throaty laughter relieved some embarrassment, twisted her stomach uncannily.

"I am glad."

"We bought every single item on your list, Auntie. We even decided on a venue. Did you want an inside wedding, or outside?"

Anna's head titled, eyeing her niece.

"Outside."

"Then we indeed picked the perfect location," Hannibal agreed. Worming phalanges prodded a hard thigh until he caught the heels, lifting them into his lap. A smile curled Hannibal's lips with Anna's sudden squirm, brushing the pads of her feet before running up and down her shin. "Are you tired?"

Anna shrugged. "I can always sleep, and it is late. Are you?"

"We had a long day of coherency," Lily said wryly. The two fought matching grins. "-and you'll have to practice double tomorrow. You've wasted a whole day and auditions are less than a week away."

"So go to bed,"  
She stood as Hannibal did, working in unison to clear the table. Lily Astor let loose a yawn, kissed her aunt's cheek, and with a wave to Hannibal, escaped to her room.

"Go ahead, I'll finish in here,"

Anna softly smiled, rising to kiss him. "You're the best."

Watching her figure glide noiselessly away, to their bedroom.

With her absence Hannibal Lecter re-opened the freezer,

And threw all the ice cream cartons into the trash.

* * *

"I see you have returned to a clear state of mind, An-na."

_I should have suspected him to be a light sleeper._

Dreamy blue eyes rose with a slender frame, paused between a car and its master door. Her nose wrinkled. "I have a very time-sensitive item in my car. I really should go retrieve it,"

"Is that so?"  
He was dressed again, hands lost in deep pockets, watching her through an unblinking gaze. With her innocent nod Hannibal released a deadly smirk. "Would you mind me joining you? I could use a few things from my own house,"

"Not at all." Anna bit her lip. "Maybe you should drive, just in case."

It felt like a game of cat and mouse.  
Waiting, stalking for an opening, a weakness in her structure.  
Both so formal, perfect in posture, and yet flawlessly at ease.

"How did your appointment go?"  
"Fine, I guess. I don't remember much after, though nothing important seemed to have happened."  
"And what time were you scheduled to see Dr. Bedell?"

He could taste the amusement suddenly dispensing from her languid form, watching the dark skies. "Late in the afternoon."

Anna was not frightened when hands unfolded on either side of her face, pressed against the window as she stood outside the car as obsidian as the night around them. A smirk was slow to wind her lips.

"It infuriates you, doesn't it. To find out Will Graham knew well before you about my subdued accent. What's worse: he figured it out on his own, without a single slip-up of my tongue,"

The strong peony smell was rubbed into her skin, emanated from the warmth of her neck. A bird's throat hollowed when teeth skimmed the sensitive skin.

His open mouth ran up, over her jaw, her cheek. Hannibal Lecter pulled away to pierce her with that deadened stare. She resisted a shiver of arousal. "Where did you run away to this morning, _gana An-na_?"

Deflection.

Anna Astor slipped away, trailing to her car. With a push of a key her trunk opened with a light _pop_.

A writhing, bound man lay cramped in the tight space, wild eyes pleading up to her. Apathy hid the amusement only allowed to peek through her voice; "Still alive I see. Remarkable."

Suddenly fretful Anna turned, locking Hannibal with her rabbit eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have a counter or table I could use, and some…utensils?"

"I'm sure we can make arrangements."

* * *

The last time, little Anna had been timid, afraid.

Now it was as if his presence did not exist; only her calculated, skilled hands, attention graciously offered to her specimen.

She moved with a steady, learned smoothness. Clean, precise.

An electric jolt coursed through Hannibal Lecter's chest stronger than lightening.

"Where do you intend on displaying him?" Hannibal asked. Anna blinked absent-mindedly, having forgotten he was even there. With one final articulate cut the man before her relinquished an ear, falling deftly into her palm.

"Mr. Morgan is an avid rock climber. He is a member of a gym close by, one with a faulty surveillance system that is currently down for upgrades." The chemical she had injected made the man sluggish, groaning with no energy to kick himself free. The sounds of agony increased with the removal of his other ear, splintering when something long and slender pushed into the inner rim of his eye.

Hannibal watched with delirious fascination as his fiancé plucked the eyes out of the man writhing upon his kitchen counter, with such a fluid motion that affirmed she had performed this act more than once.

The beat of Anna Astor's heart was calm, her face an evasive shell of herself. The way she moved nearly mechanical, her chest rising slow with a strong, heavier exhale.

When he stepped into the circle of light overhead, entering her domain, a breathless smile of childlike excitement brightened like a sky of milky stars.

"I am in need of a needle, Hannibal."


	52. Chapter 52

Review please! Dun dun dun! Season finale tonight. I'm late to work. Gah!

-_M_

* * *

She was always Odile.

The second-best, the darker of two halves.

She did not welcome death as a friend, did not feel the release of a wasted life.

Instead she resented what was never given to her.

This time would be no different.

_"You were useless from birth. You can't follow the simplest instructions, or follow through in a single turn. You are a disgrace, pathetic. You are nothing. I despise you. I wish I had never even fucked your stupid mother to produce such a talentless, worthless, fuck-up of a child. You disgust me. You are nothing." __**You are nothing**__-_

"Anna!"

Heavy breathing, heartbeat in ears. A tingling sensation burned her joints, elbows and knees as glimmers of sweat splattered the wooden floor beneath her.

Anna Astor was a vision. A mirage floating upon the air with the grace of a thousand dancers. When she was on stage, the entire world dissolved.

It was only her. Possessing every sense, every yearning that painted their souls.

"Anna-"

"_What_?" A vicious hiss attacked more fierce than any physical weapon. Both men froze.

After two hours of unanswered phone calls, Jack Crawford had not only instigated Will Graham to find the woman, but her fiancé as well.

One who appeared just as startled by Anna Astor's coldness as the agent beside him.

Black spandex rose and fell with a willow form's heaving breaths, hair disarrayed from her knotted bun. Not even in combat practice had Anna ever broken down like this. A pang of worry wrenched Will's gut.

"I…Forgive me," Anna's voice murmured, billowing from the sides of the nimble fingers hiding her face. He could just make out dark lashes against her cheek. "I was absorbed in the piece."

"Her performance is just around the corner," Hannibal unnecessarily explained with obvious pride. Anyone remotely close to Anna knew about the ballet, seats already reserved. The second-leading role did not turn to their voices, rooted to the glossy floor.

She had fallen. From the slam of the door, the call of her name. She had _fallen_.

_If that's all it takes to unsettle me, how can I possibly endure a Performance?_

"An-na?"

Though it was he who spoke her name, crystal eyes first landed upon Will Graham.

"What are you doing here, anyway? Is there a new lead on the Morgan case?"

"No," Glasses reflected the bright lighting rather than his murky gaze, mouth thinning.

Adam Morgan, age thirty-seven, had been found broken and bent to fit between colorful synthetic rocks, upside-down with a one of his own ribs balancing his chin to view sight-seers with sewn eyes and a black-stitched mouth, ears acutely cut from the body as well as the tongue upon inspection.

Every vital organ had been removed, except the heart.

_"He believes we're following the instinct of our heart, morale, over our minds. That our senses are blocked and lost because of it."_

_"But the rib. Why the rib?"_

_"Because woman was made from a rib out of the side of Adam."_

"Then what?" She sighed, now fretting over her mussed hair. She looked like a preening bird and Will relaxed slightly.

"A girl was found in her residence, slashed from cheek to cheek. It was as if someone were trying to rip her face completely off."

"No fingerprints, evidence?" Anna's attention had suddenly hooked into Hannibal, taking in the sharp suit that always seemed to enhance his masculinity. Her expression visibly darkened and that tempting smirk kissed the side of his mouth.  
Taunting.  
Anna licked her suddenly too-dry lips, about to glance away before Hannibal spoke; "Any evidence that might have been useful was tarnished by Will. It seems he empathized too deeply and acted as the killer, rather than simply thinking like him or her."

"Will? Do you remember that happening?" Her voice wafted, door closed behind her. Brown eyes observed the fidgeting Will Graham in replace of his counterpart, noting his unease. "What is the last you event remember?"

"I…Fishing."

Anna reappeared, startling eyes under dark brows already knitted together. The scanty leotard had been exchanged for a sleeveless peplume top of white, pale mint pants, and nude stilettos. Anna's hair was smooth once more in a large bun, hardly grazing either of their chins even with towering shoes. She frowned.

"Did you go fishing yesterday?"

"I don't really know," _It couldn't have been. You were there. You caught the fish._

"William," Anna groaned, "-you have to go to the doctor."

"I agree. I've set an appointment up for you, Will. A colleague of mine."

Two surprised expressions greeted the accented words. Lean arms proceeded to pluck an emerald peacoat from the foyer closet, shifted over Anna's shoulders and fitted two brass buttons into their pockets. Hannibal watched his own fingers work rather than meet their curiosity. Anna gave in first, turning suddenly to Will.

"Tell me about this new case. Could you retrieve my purse from the kitchen while you're at it?"

Reluctantly Will pivoted, fading words of murder and blood filtering the air, waning with each step away.

Hannibal was taken by mild surprise when two hands slammed into his chest, able to force him against the wall from the luck of unexpectedness. His body dramatically tensed when two stimulations grazed him: one being the soft mouth suddenly caressing his with a tantalizing gentleness, the other a strong fingered grasp snuck past his belt and curled around his growing shaft. An alarming grip crushed her biceps and Anna's finger's flexed, tongue forcing his lips to part and allow her entrance.

The news of her acceptance into the Norse ballet had revealed a new Anna Astor.

One who was more determined, straightforward with every matter in her life.

Spiteful.

Every spare moment given in the studio, relentless in practice. Her body thinned, her voice grew placid. Every step became calculated, graceful.

Only those sharp eyes reflected her utter distaste in being second-best.

Hannibal Lecter didn't calm her with a soft embrace, still her with words.

Instead he riddled her conscious by indulging her ferocity, inflicting the same ravenous hunger towards her lips, hair, skin. Returning footsteps clattered the wooden floor and Anna pulled away, marbleized ice.

As if the heated moment had never happened. As if she had never even been aroused by him.

"Thanks," The brunette spoke with a growing smile. "I hope your appointment goes well,"

She promptly kissed Hannibal good-bye, not more than a second long, and breezed out the door. An uneasiness had settled in Lecter's ribs before a sharp breath broke the still.

"Her cell phone," The breath murmured, realizing it was gently glowing.

Still clutched in his white-knuckled hand.

Will Graham followed Anna, a hunter and a blue-eyed doe, standing just in the doorway of her car.

_"You're losing her," Abigail Hobbs spoke casually, picking at her meal. Piercing eyes glanced and remained on his face, always so fearful. All so afraid when realization began to sink into their minds. _

_Anna knows. Anna has always known. _

He gazed upon them, standing so close, Anna's pretty face ducking, laughing with such lightness. His face turned to hers; smile and eyes gentle, a lost man taken by her charm.

It all made perfect sense.

They connected in a way Hannibal Lecter could not: two normal people, fighting and laughing in a way so natural, close.

How had he been so blind?

* * *

He was late.

Sea glass looked out the penthouse view with a light frown. _What sort of anniversary is this, waiting around for an hour._

The soft _click_ of a key and door caught her ears and she smiled, decided not to turn around. _Let him get a good view of my backside. Feel my annoyance._

"You really do look quite lovely in green, Catharine."

It was a voice so unfamiliar and smooth. A feminine tone, rather than the charming sound of her husband's.

Catharine Caldwell swirled, wide-eyed at the calm, ornately-dressed woman closing the door to her private apartment. She pocketed the golden key and smiled.

"H-How did you get up here? Where did you get that key?" Face growing similar to the chaos of flaming hair falling behind her shoulders. "Let me guess, you're some slut Abirad hooks up with occasionally? Listen, sweetheart, he-"

"I am, nor will I ever be, infatuated with your husband," Came the calm interruption. "I'm here to meet with you. To warn you,"

"Warn me of what?" Caldwell felt her back begin to ache with the stress of standing so tense. Slowly she bent, relaxed._ How much of a threat can she be, anyway. She's nearly thinner than I am._

"Your husband, Abirad Caldwell, is a murderer."

"What?" She laughed. Unhurried steps moved forth to retrieve a chilled glass of golden champagne. The intruder slipped out of her coat and delicately placed it on the back of a chair. Never once did she look up to Catharine's full face. "Abirad wouldn't hurt a fly, especially me! I'm his _wife_. He loves me. Who are you anyway? We've been-"

"He personally tried to have me killed, Catharine. He nearly succeeded."

"You're lying. Who the fuck do you think you are-"

"I am not the liar, your husband is. Men lie," Anna Astor confessed with a simple shrug of her shoulders. "Not twenty minutes ago, my fiancé lied about the health of a patient to me, stating there was nothing wrong with his anatomy and physiology. You were stupid enough to believe in your significant other and bought the lie. I am not."

"How do you know he lied?"

Thin lips smiled a sympathetic line.

"Because, dear Catharine, I have been drugging our patient for months."

She staggered, looking horrified. Anna sniffed.

"What…What the hell is wrong with you? You're purposely trying to kill you own patient?"

"Not kill. Experiment," Anna frowned, off-put by the assumption. "It is a new drug designed as a sleep-aid. It hasn't been marketed due to the bacteria samples used, common in inducing major symptoms. For him not to mention a single abnormality in the tests is a hard-faced lie."

"You're out of your mind. I don't know who you think you are, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Now. I'd rather not call security but I will if you give me a reason to."

Spindle fingers brushed the table, trailing behind as the brunette moved forward. A smile was upon her mouth once more, her eyes downcast. She dreamily caught the redhead's gaze with the tilt of her chin.

"You really do look marvelous in green. I suppose it's true what they say about complimentary colors,"

* * *

It happened so fast.

Not the slightest remorse colored Anna Astor's face, standing mere inches from the modelesque wife of Abirad Caldwell.

Catharine was frozen.

Nerves screaming, racing to a numb skull, breath captured, trapped on death's row.  
Jade eyes blinked rapidly. Swallowing, glancing down.

A shining blade now hid in her chest, caught in the soft tissue between two ribs.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to proceed in a quick killing. Abirad would show no restraint or precision. Your death must be tactless-" A tortured cry escaped with the pull of the knife, only to dig into her once more.

* * *

The woman proceeded to stab Catharine Caldwell seventeen times, aligning shallow cuts horizontally through hypo-gastric region.

As she lay bleeding on the polished floor Anna left, returned with the necessary equipment. With deft hands Anna Astor performed a procedure she had so many times in a hospital, before her memory loss.

This time, however, there was nothing wrong with the organ.  
An impromptu hysterectomy of a perfect healthy, fertile uterus.

She sat on her haunches, digging absently in her pocket.

"Did you know," Anna began casually, setting two rectangles of paper side by side and wiping her hands clean, "-that _cyanoacrylate_, a main ingredient of superglue, can be used to pick up fingerprints?"

She warmed her own fingers, flexed at the joints, wrists. "It slides over the print like a glove, absorbs into the sweat and gasses out. When worked with a dollop of glycerin-" Anna dipped finger into a pool of adherent glue before pressing each digit into another's print. "A perfect model is made of those fingerprints."

She squeezed Catharine Caldwell's face like a child's, touched the glass of the windows. With a shoe identical to Abirad's Anna smeared blood, leaving half a footprint on the edge of the flood.

"Subtle clues, subtle clues," Anna told Catharine's cold corpse, bagging her own evidence with a pensive expression. Glassy orbs stared at the ceiling, beautifully pale body mangled.

Anna Astor looked around one last time.

Pulling on her jacket and opening the door with borrowed fingers.

No one even thought to question the frail little waitress from the building's café, carrying a bulging garbage bag out the back doors and to the dumpster.

* * *

He was fluid.

Burning, rippling like waves. Inconsistent, unbalanced, lost.

Alone.

He would crumble as the ocean upon rocks with no one to save him but himself, on is throne of antlers and instability.

The water and ice began to fall with a growling. Barking erupted chaos and the avalanche began its descent.

A woman stood at the crest, slender, dressed in a black.

A rotting hole took the place of her abdomen with two peach hands holding in the sickness. With a beautiful smile she disappeared under the force of splintering ice. One whispered sentence met his ears.

_"You're only as alone as you allow yourself to be."_

* * *

Will Graham woke up in a cold sweat.

The noise of his dreams turned into the real noise of a dog's whine, claws clicking against hardwood floors.

Instead of being surrounded, only a single canine appeared to be in the room.

His own footfalls were silent, bare of shoes, following the soft crackles and glow from another room.

Will found them flocked around the woman of his dreams, basking in the heat from his fireplace. A floorboard let out a groan and several heads turned.

"You really need a better hiding place for your spare than the door mat, William."

"I have half a dozen dogs. I didn't think anybody would risk losing being mauled to death."

"They allowed me entrance easy enough," Anna Astor answered with a coy smile. His lips released a scoff through well-groomed facial hair and she chuckled, opening the blanket wrapped around her.

"Come sit with me."

She could feel his heart pound through thin cotton, lightly pressed to the blade of her shoulder. Hesitant fingers grazed her opposite arm and Anna let her head fall into the crook of his shoulder.

Slowly, Will Graham succumbed to her.

"Shouldn't you be home, with Lily and…Hannibal?" His head had turned, inhaled the scent of her soft hair. It clouded his judgment, swept morale under the rug. Bones lifted against his chest with her shrug.

"They're asleep I'm sure. It's pretty late." She looked up to his face, only inches away. "How was your appointment? Did they find anything?"

"…No. Dr. Sutcliffe seemed adamant on the idea it's a…mental illness."

Anna quieted. For a long while Will thought she had fallen asleep in his arms before she spoke;

"You mustn't give up hope, Will. Just because one doctor couldn't find anything doesn't mean another won't."

Anna rose suddenly. Attentive canines followed her with wide eyes, waiting for a command. She smiled.

"I am the wife of trickery, after all. I'm well aware of lurking problems behind every corner."

"What?"

Startling eyes found Will's as she slung her coat on. The curve in her lips began to favor one side over the other.

"The ballet is centered around the wives of Norse gods. I am the goddess Sigyn, wife of the dark-haired, emerald-eyed Loki, god of deceit and trickery. I, like my husband, will fall into the shadow of Thor, god of thunder, and Sif, his wife." Anna slipped into her shoes, growing in height.

"While Sif remains in the light, I will turn to darkness with the fall of my husband. I will take his place in the realm of shadows."

"This is a _ballet_?" Anna grinned at his disbelief as she opened his front door and offered him an extended arm.

A silver key sat in the palm of her hand.

"Keep it," He murmured.

The warmth in her face, azure eyes widening before the breathless, heart-wrenching smile.

For once, he didn't think.

For once, he simply acted.

Will Graham caught Anna by the waist,

And kissed her.

* * *

Abel Gideon glanced at the plastic clock hanging high upon his cell wall. He smiled to himself.

_Just a few more days_.

This time, she would be the star.

This time, there would be only her.

Abel Gideon would make sure of it.


	53. Chapter 53

"Abel Gideon has escaped."

"There is no safer place for her than the theater, surrounded by the audience, other dancers, and security. She has worked every last second of each day for this, Jack. I cannot allow you to waste her efforts."

Steely eyes glared at the sharp-boned face of his adamant colleague.

"I don't believe you have that sort of authority, Dr. Lecter."

"He's right, Jack. We'll all be here. Extra security can be hired, FBI in the balcony. I don't think Gideon would actually harm Anna. He's infatuated with her."

Three intelligent men stood distinct in dark tuxedos, arguing near the outer skirts of dressing rooms. A skeleton woman had appeared suddenly and caught the eyes of one handsome man before floating off with an abrupt haste. The same eyes turned to Jack, unrelenting.

"We must not inform her. Tonight belongs to An-na. Please, Jack, do not ruin this for her."

"Ruin what, and for whom?" A silky voice returned.

Not even Hannibal Lecter fathomed the vision before them to be his fiancé.

Heart-shape cut down her chest, brazened in glimmering gold embroidery upon the darkest obsidian, the deepest emerald like veins throughout the corset. It burst into waves of black chiffon, a tide above long, curved legs.

Hair side-parted and sleeked, darker than anyone had ever seen. Pulled into a bun looser than expected beneath one ear with spindles of gold intertwined to form a low crown. Her make-up shadowed the palate of her dress, skin bronzed, lips an unforgiving, bloodied kiss.

Anna Astor was no more.

Now, there was only her Odile, her role.

Sigyn.

"Anna," Jack Crawford produced no other words; he couldn't.

"The performance starts in less than thirty minutes. I am sorry and I don't mean to be rude, but you must leave."

"Anna, we-"

"She's right," Will Graham was interrupted by Jack, his mouth a thin line. "We just wanted to make sure everything was in order, and to wish you good luck."

A spark of their Anna appeared with the sight of her smile, eyes roaming to each individual. "Thank you, then. I'll see you after the performance."

Two agents with hidden worries melted from her vision, leaving only one to remain.

They stood as statues, marbleized beings with matching, emotionless masks to adorn in place of faces.

"It will happen tonight," Hannibal spoke at last. The slight nod of Anna's chinned confirmed his statement, letting loose a shimmer from her skin.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

He watched the sudden clouds in her eyes rumble with a storm, fighting for dominance.  
Careful steps placed her at the foot of his body, hands smoothing the collar of his jacket. Fingers pressed the small of her back, held her close.

Anna's eyes glowed between layers of shining make-up and contained his attention with ease.

"I know you lied about Will, Hannibal. What I want to know is why."

She cupped his face in one hand before he caught the wrist, bringing fingers to waiting lips. It did not stall her words.

"Did you lie so I wouldn't know how to treat him if I felt the need to, because you were jealous of our relationship? Or were you simply…curious."

A stillness fell over the couple. She was not weak, longing for the answer any woman in love would want.

She was prepared.

"You really don't believe I'm in love with you, do you."

His words, as soft as her expression, favored no single emotion more than another. Sigyn laughed, pulled away with the deftest of moves.

Her crimson lips smiled under dead eyes.

"I'm not sure you're capable of it, Dr. Lecter."

* * *

_It was becoming too much._

_The pain in the core of her stomach, the clenched sickness ripping her seams. _

_A simple relevé brought her tumbling down, panting to the uncaring floor. _

_She sensed him before she saw him, felt his presence before hearing him. _

_He did not run to her side, comfort her. _

_He instead acted in a way quite familiar to her past. _

_"You did not turn your ankle the same degree as per usual, An-na. It is why you fell."_

It reminded Anna much of her father.

Too much.

Daphne Michaels grinned from across the stage, hidden behind the curtains. She was a pleasant, well-rounded dancer- Anna wasn't surprised when the blonde earned the title of Sif.

It did not stop her, however, from loathing the woman with every fiber of her being.

They moved together, two goddesses in the night. The golden love of Thor, conqueror, and the tarnished name of Sigyn, filled with the coldness of jealousy and inferiority.

The only vocal of the entire ballet came from her very throat.

Writhing, falling to the ground, clawing towards her fallen God.

The scream that wailed from Anna Astor was the most haunting and forlorn, inconsolable sound He had ever heard; the cry of complete and utter defeat, wholly relinquishing herself to the grief of losing the one she loved most.

The stage turned a blood red, her fallen body pale in the tinted light. Music grew into deep timbre solos before bursting with a full orchestra and non-pitched percussion. Beats rolled from the timpani, molded into Anna's insidious movements.

Every second, every minute of every day, had come to this.

She was surreal, an essence of simple, complicated emotions, created in one tantalizing body of movement.

Together she and the music filtered every sense, swallowed the very souls of the audience.

There was only her.

The pounding music roared as a ravaged beast. With each pirouette, straight, pointed leg extended, all percussion struck with expertise, resounding the state of Maryland.

It was then that the rain fell.

Articulately measured with the vibrations of sound, the rise of her leg, they fell, crackling against the hard, unforgiving floor.

Every form doused in the red light, splattering paint on every surface.

Thirteen perfect spins tunneling into a relentless tornado, arms an arched barrier before her.  
Without the slightest waver she stopped, one leg pointed, oblique, the other straight and firm, fingers clenched into impenetrable fists on either side of her body.

The deadly, inhuman face of Anna Astor rose, black-swept eyes opening as a wicked, macabre smile ripped her red mouth in halves.

With one long pull of breath a swan neck appeared, blissful face to the sky.

She consumed Hannibal Lecter wholeheartedly.

Unscheduled lights basked the stage rather than a heavy curtain,

Revealing the thirteen mangled, opened bodies shattered as eggshells across the stage.

* * *

"Of course I didn't know! How could I? How could _anyone_?"

All further performances were immediately shut down.

Chaos had erupted with the screams of a frightened audience. All bolting, stampeding as cattle for quick escapes.

Anna had stood, dazed, dotted in the blood of others, before a single bold man jumped to the stage.

Long fingers grazed her neck and cheeks, ran one tip from the beginning of a brow to end, curving into the crescent scar beneath a startled aquamarine orb.

The blood, death, had not taken her by surprise.

The sudden panicked worry and fear in His eyes did.

_"Y-You love me. You're really in love with me," She breathed in awe. _

_It was as if she were finally, truly awakening. _

_"Yes," He murmured. "Yes."_

"Anna,"

She sighed impatiently, averting to the two-way mirror.

"Why am I be questioned by a no-name rookie, anyway? Where is Jack?"

"A call came in shortly after the ballet massacre of a victim with an amputated arm. They believe it was the real Chesapeake Ripper sending a message."

"Lass?" Anna mused to herself. The boy raised a questionable eyebrow that only thinned her lips. "You have no evidence against me, I have a solid alibi, and I'm the prime target of Abel Gideon, whom I have little doubt is behind all of this. Now if you'll excuse me-"

The boy stammered demands that met deaf ears, stalking towards the iron door. With an expectant glare it buzzed, allowing her exit.

_"Anna? Anna, you were beautiful! It was the best you have ever danced-"_

_"Lily. Where are you? Are you safe?"_

_"Hannibal took me home with him. We're playing Slap-Jack and he's letting me win because he won't slam his hand down-Where are you, anyway?"_

_"I was being questioned. I'll be there shortly. I love you." _

_"I love you, too."_

The doorbell rang nearly instantaneously with the hanging of her cell phone, a contagious grin catching a strawberry mouth all the way to her crinkling blue eyes.

"I'll get it!"

* * *

"I don't see anyone, Will."

_"Don't lie to me!"_

Crystal eyes were enthralled by the figure who appeared, tense in the doorway due to the scene unfurling before her.

"Anna," Abel Gideon greeted warmly. "Everything went beautifully, didn't it. In the mayhem I snagged the perfect opportunity to capture that slime Chilton. He's barely of the brink of life now-"

"Will," Her interruption was breathless, barreling past a tall form to draw nearer. "Will! Hannibal, what did you-"

Anna Astor suddenly froze, wavered on one weak ankle. White knuckles gripped the back of a chair and she gasped, face contorted in pain.

_It's getting worse. Please, not now. Not right now._

"_Anna_," A rush of breath hissed from Hannibal's lips, rushing to her side.

With all the energy she had left Anna raised a shaking hand, ran her fingers across the planes of one pressed cheek.

She grimaced with another tremor of pain licking her body and pulled her hand away, burned.

Through clenched teeth, she managed only two words.

"_No_ hospitals."

* * *

_"No no no no, Will. The only place you're fit to go to is the hospital. I'll call Jack and tell him where you are."_

Nimble fingers combed her hair, a warm fidgeting pillow beneath her head.

"Are you okay? Is it okay?" A little girl's whisper fell into her ears.

Not revealing her conscious mind with open eyes and large movement, Anna Astor subtly nodded her head but once.

A soft sigh escaped, soothing nerves.

"How is she? Has she awoken?"

"I think she will soon. Did Jack come and get Will?"

No answer met Lily's words. New, longer fingers grazed Anna's skin with the same gentleness her niece had shown.  
Two marble orbs opened, lips thinning.

"Hannibal, what did you allow Will to do?" Two digits prodded her throat as he remained silent, counting off her pulse. "Hannibal."

"You seem to be well now, An-na. Perhaps it was simply from fatigue-"

"_Hannibal_." She hissed, rising from the Victorian couch. Lily's hands fell away with her abruptness and both frowned.

"Please Auntie, don't overexert yourself-"

"Then answer my questions. Where is Abel Gideon and Will Graham."

Lily Astor's breath caught.

_Stay loyal to the man living to protect Anna, or to the woman who has raised me?_

"Hannibal told Gideon where Alana Bloom lives, and allowed Will to go after him!"

It felt good to get the words out, no matter how horrible she felt betraying Hannibal.

Hannibal, who had went uncannily still.

"Lily, please leave," Anna ordered faintly.

She did not need to be told twice.

Sitting on the edge of a plush cushion, gripping the velvety material, Anna Astor began the slow process of regaining equilibrium.

"I'm going after them."

"You will do no such thing."

Crimson lips smirked. In her haste from the ballet to interrogation, she hadn't had time to erase the heavy make-up from her body.

She was still Sigyn.

"How do you intend to stop me?"

A thousand thoughts set sail between them, not a single uttered.

Anna studied his face, with the wide, creased planes, impenetrable amber eyes. How many times had she witnessed their warmth, his throaty, beautiful laughter?

"Do you trust me?" Anna asked, quietly.

He stared at her.

"Do you trust yourself?"

"That isn't what I'm asking, Hannibal," Her eyes never left his, still captivating under weighted layers of paint.

"Do you trust me?"

It was an irrevocable answer. Putting his very soul of the line, bared only for her.

"Yes."

Anna Astor smiled his breathtaking smile, looking to him with such painstaking warmth.

"Then you have to let me go."


	54. Chapter 54

Oh, dear. Have I been rather vague? I suppose you'll have to come to your own conclusions...For now_._

_(;_

_-M_

* * *

She found them in the wild skirts of Alana Bloom's home.

Two figures of darkness, cast side by side.  
Worked and prodded into the same thinking, pressed into the same cloth of fake identity until they too lost count of who they truly were.

She appeared just as another ethereal vision to him. Dressed in black, face a canvas of inhumanity and demons.

"_Anna_."

"You woke up," Gideon drawled in his lilting way, watching the woman through low-lidded, murky eyes.

Standing stiffly, composed of such a low, pale weight, one hand protectively wrapped around herself, breath a heavy burden.

Abel Gideon knew.  
To him, it was clear as the night sky above.

He took in a sinking breath, blew it out between puckered lips.

"So then. Who else is aware of your condition, Anna?"

Her willowy figure drew closer with cautious, staggering steps. At some point in time chestnut hair had escaped, a wild whirlwind to the near bend of her elbows. The long coat she hugged to her body couldn't possibly belong to her; its hem nearly reaching her knees and swallowed moonstone fingers like hungry mouths. Pain had worn lines into her face, mixed with a primal expression he just couldn't put his finger on.

"Lily. Just you, and Lily."

"Ah," Gideon murmured. "How long?"

"Longer…Longer than you'd expect, Abel."

"What is he talking about? A-Anna?"

Will Graham was blurred, confused.  
Lost.  
Anna smiled gently, soaking in his full attention.

"It will kill you, Anna. You know that."

"I don't care."

"Stop _ignoring_ me! Anna! Anna, _please_, what's going on? What's _happening_ to me?!"

Tears spilled from her blinking eyes, lowering. Her own fingers clawed at her body in useless anger. Gideon gave her no time to answer Will, relentless in his words.

"You will _die_, Anna. You will wither into a corpse where only the crows and ravens will want you. You will be _nothing_." His voice, humorless and deranged, was advancing towards her in calculated steps, face a burning expression of anger.

Will Graham, in a moment of clarity, rose the gun in his shaking hands.

* * *

Every act she had performed, the kindred moments of honesty used to envelope and swallow his heart, head, eyes, had been for this precise moment. To ensure Will Graham would protect her at all costs.

To gain his empathy.

Abel Gideon turned. With an amused, wicked smirk he inhaled his last breath, released one devastating sentence before a bullet silenced his voice for an eternity.

"_She's pregnant_."

* * *

He would not tell Hannibal: he couldn't.

He felt and understood her fear as palpable as a living being.

A being now growing in the pit of her mangled, imperfect core.


	55. Chapter 55

"You must be Georgia Madchen."

A bottled specimen rose, awoken by the opening of an air tunnel allowing the soft voice through.

A lone woman stood in front of her, a kind smile upon her lips.

"Hi," She answered, suddenly feeling shy. The newcomer possessed a certain strange beauty, with thin lips and wide two-toned eyes. Brown hair fell in gentle curls around shoulders covered in a loose coral polyester frock, tucked into a white lace pencil skirt. Gracefully she landed in a visitor's chair, still wearing that benevolent smile.

"I'm Anna Astor. I've heard much about you, Georgia. You look beautiful."

"Th-Thanks. How have you heard so much about me? Are you a...doctor?"

Anna chuckled, smoothing her skirt with averted eyes. Georgia watched her curiously. "Technically, yes, but I feel one must be actively working to be considered a "doctor." I am an assistant to Jack Crawford and Will Graham, meaning I off-handedly helped in understanding your condition and identity."

"Oh." It sounded disappointed, perhaps in herself. Anna backtracked with wide eyes.

"I really wasn't much help. I've been-I'm engaged." She feigned a stammer, raising her hand sheepishly. A crooked grin lightened Georgia's face.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you," Anna beamed. The expression faded slightly with her next somber words. "I was mostly told of what happened, rather than knowing first hand."

"So you know I killed my own friend."

"But not Dr. Sutcliffe?"

"No," She answered firmly.

"Do you know who did, then?"  
"I know Will Graham was…was in the building. Sometimes I catch fragments of memory from that day. I can never see his face." The entombed girl sighed, lying back one more.

She stared at the ceiling and Anna stared at her, a tick flickering her jaw just once.

"Think, Georgia. Picture his physique, the way he moved. His clothing. Was it a hospital gown? Long and loose, soft blue in color?"

"…No. No, he wasn't wearing anything Dr. Sutcliffe would have given him. This person was…He was wearing something almost...Shiny. Over a suit."

She ascended with widened eyes. "Does that mean it wasn't Will? How could it have been?"

"I believe so, yes. It opens the door to immeasurable possibilities. You may have just saved an innocent man, Georgia."

The girl split her face with a jubilant smile, overly excited. Joyous.

_Because if there is hope for Will Graham, than there would surely be hope for her._

"Your hair is beautiful, Georgia. It is certainly a color one couldn't possibly obtain in a bottle,"

She watched her flush and Anna's own brunette head tilted, envious and smiling.

"Maybe if you recover enough, you can attend my wedding." She had risen to her feet, digging through her purse. A slot was pliable, allowing her to pull it open with ease. The glass clattered with the drop of her gift. "You would look so beautiful in a dress of teal, with that golden hair." Anna smile suddenly fell, replaced with a look of obvious disgust that riled Georgia's stomach with unexplainable worry.

"But, perhaps you could leave that bracelet. It's hideous."

With one single wave the woman drifted from view, beautiful hair bouncing with each step.

Georgia Madchen frantically tore the band from her wrist, sighing once free. After a hesitant moment she opened the adjoining slot to retrieve what Anna Astor had left.

A single aquamarine comb lay at the bottom of the drawer.

* * *

"I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, dear. Should I be worried?"

He chuckled and she glanced his way, stomach twisting.

They had left the hospital together, Hannibal Lecter brooding. Over what, she hadn't known.

_"Did he say something offensive? Has Georgia already mentioned Dr. Sutcliffe's murder to Will?"_

_"He called the meal I so graciously brought and slaved over chicken soup. As if it were some mundane condensed drivel from a can. Where does he think I produce a Silkie chicken, native to Asian countries? Does he think it's easy? Or cheap? It might as well have been Campbell's chicken noodle-"_

She couldn't decide which warmed her more; his reaction to Will Graham's lack of understanding to the process of buying and cooking a Silkie chicken, or the fact Hannibal felt he could confide such a frivolous dilemma to her.

"Ah, here we are," The car dipped smoothly into a large parking lot, vacated by all but four cars. Anna recognized the scenery frosted with pale dust and turned to Hannibal curiously.

The doctor had already disappeared from the driver's seat.

She opened her own door cautiously, standing. Long legs sprouted from the seat behind her, bent at the waist and torso hidden.

Anna couldn't help herself.

The surprised grunt that bubbled from Hannibal Lecter's throat caused her to grin, hands having molded into the perfect curve of his backside. Anna bowed her head, leaned against his body. Eyes closing, inhaling a deep, slow breath.

_"It's why you wear so much perfume and lotion. You're hiding."_

_"Yes."_

_He staggered near, disillusioned by fever. "Why? Why would you hide his own child from him?"_

_He questioned if she were even truly there, if Anna Astor had ever truly existed. _

_Cloaked in black, face unrecognizable. A mask. _

_An Algonquian myth._

_"Because," Its voice spoke, seeping into his veins._

_"Because deep down, you're beginning to realize what He is."_

"An-na," She rose with the turn of his body, caught in his arms. Anna smiled softly and Hannibal caught a strong jaw with one hand. He watched her with those amber eyes, lips lightly curled as well.

"What are you thinking about?"

"You."

It was a simple answer that startled him.  
The fact that it did wrenched Anna's chest horribly.

He hesitated, withdrew. With a shake of his head the moment awkwardly ended, unwinding a long scarf of a deep burgundy. He looped the material over her head and fitted it snugly.

"Wouldn't want you to catch a cold," He mumbled as cold fingers swept across her neck, freeing trapped hair. Anna remained still while Hannibal produced a matching knit hat, hanging strange and limp over half her head. Hands caught the slender wrists of Dr. Lecter and swiftly she moved, standing on the pads of her feet and pulling him down to meet her halfway.

She couldn't remember the last time she kissed him like this.

They breathed the same air. His lips opened with a chuckle at her sudden insistent affections, fingers choking around his neck as she kissed every surface of his face. "An-na-"

"_As tave myliu_, _Hannibal_," The woman spoke with a perfect accent, similar to his own. Anna pulled away to find him wide-eyed once more.

An immaculate, awed smile bared his white teeth and Anna nearly crumpled.

"You've been practicing."

"It's a problem of mine," Anna bit her lip. "I…When I begin something, I have to commit one hundred percent until I feel accomplished. It's why I've been wearing headphones so much lately."

"Language tapes," Hannibal realized softly. Cerulean eyes were finicky, tucking loose hair behind an ear. Almost unconsciously he reached over and untucked it once more. "Come, before night descends completely,"

He led her by the hand, fingers tight through the others, to the lantern-lit park. Snow still fell and Anna bundled closer, a form lost in heavy winter garments. "Take the scarf, I'll keep the hat. It wouldn't be any better if you contracted a cold, Dr. Lecter."

"I am more concerned with your health and would ask that you keep all items of clothing, Mrs. Lecter."

Her lips puckered in annoyance and stubborn feet dug into the ground. Unwillingly an ample form slowed, smirking at her scowling pout. It avalanched as Anna unwound the scarf and caught his neck instead, pulling him to her once more.

"See? It looks much better on you," Anna murmured against his lips. A growl warmed Hannibal's throat and she laughed underneath the kiss pressed into her mouth.

"You will be the death of me," He sighed.

"Perhaps not the death. I only wish to be your sweetest hello, your hardest good-bye,"

Warm eyes watched her and the creases in his face did not smile, pulled for a different expression. "I will never say good-bye to you, An-na."

Anna Astor looked away, voice a murmur.

"You might."

* * *

"This is really bizarre."

"Hm, what is?"

"This. You. Eating cheap Chinese take-out on the floor and watching television. I didn't even know you _owned_ a tv."

"How else would I be up to date on current events?"

"The paper, the radio…" Anna Astor shrugged before a crooked smile tugged at her lips. "We aren't watching the news now, though. What's this show called, again?"

The man beside her reached for the remote, brow furrowed at the many buttons. _Somehow I seriously doubt he actually watches television very often._

"The…Bad Girl's Club." He sounded a mixture of appalled amusement.

"There's a club? Hmm. Maybe I should sign up."

"You would kill all of these women within the first hour, and I would have no way of covering for you."

The room filled with her tinkling laughter, gentle compared to her throaty belly sound. With the use of one finger the tv blackened. "Besides, you're not bad. You are naughty, Mrs. Lecter."

It was instantaneous.

Hannibal fought a smirk at the sudden lust hazing her blue eyes, jaw tensed. Somehow, he knew that would set her off. Anna let out a grunting scoff, turning to the food. "Tell me something about yourself. Is there anything you're afraid of on an unusual sense?"

"I am not particularly fond of Rhopalocera."

Anna shot up with surprise, a grin beginning to plaster her mouth. "Rhopalocera, as in…_Butterflies_?"

Hannibal became quite interested in his lo mien.

"I am not afraid of them. I simply do not enjoy the feeling of their sticky legs. Taste sensors are located on each of the six entities-" He paused, catching her silent laughter. The bones of his sharp jaw contorted, hooded eyes nearly glowering before Anna spoke up.

"I don't know how to swim,"

"Really?" He questioned, surprised. A soft head of hair nodded, twisting noodles around chopsticks. Hannibal lightly smiled, following her lead. "I will teach you, then."

"I'd like that,"

Anna watched him finish, the way his teeth always hid behind those full lips. When he smiled they fought to remain closed, opening from the sides rather than the middle. He had showered upon coming home and his light hair was loose, naturally parting and brushing his forehead, falling into his eyes when he ducked to meet a bite of food.

It was always a thrilling sort of sight, when Hannibal Lecter fell from his immaculate suits and into the clothing of a casual man.

Anna Astor slid herself over until their shoulders met, legs stretched out before them. Hers curved with femininity, losing muscle tone with the lack of physical exercise. Hannibal's were many inches longer, narrow and straight. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, hid a smile in Chinese. "What occurrence was the most frightening in your life?"

Anna hummed. Gravity pushed her skin with the ninety degree rise of her chin, showing the gaunt bones of her face. In a way, she reminded Hannibal of himself.

At last she began to smile, almost nostalgic.

"Daryl Fawnstrom's family is from Illinois. Margaret coerced me into visiting with them, to help supervise the then-3-year-old Lily. It was the end of a sweltering summer and they were farming people, surrounded on three sides by cornfields. Lily and I were in the backyard while everyone else was inside. Napping I think," Her thumb rolled over a rose-gold ring, unconscious of her movement.  
"I looked away, not even for a whole minute. When I turned around, she was gone. I saw a shift in the massive stalks and bolted. Acres and acres of it, a foot taller than me and at least three over Lily. Lily, who hardly ever spoke until she was almost four and a half. I…I didn't know just how much I loved her, until I thought she was missing. It was as if someone had knocked the wind from my lungs." Anna shook her head and the sudden fear wrinkling her mouth made him reach to her. She watched a heavy hand swallow hers, slip between her fingers. Anna heaved a breath and smiled suddenly.

"I ran. I ran as if my life depended on me doing so. It probably did. I screamed until my throat was raw. And then I found her, hovering over a kitten with tears dribbling down her rosy little face. She said that he, the kitten, had been abandoned, and it was our 'sommem' duty' to take him. Othello." Anna dug a large chunk of meat from her rice and slid it into her mouth.

"I call him a half-kitten because he never really grew, but we've had him since that precise moment. He's actually quite old,"

"A reason as to why he is so well-behaved," Hannibal offered.

Anna laughed. "He is the only pet I've ever been fond of. Lily's bird and lizard aren't nearly as clever or affectionate. Too primal, I suppose." Anna looked to her wrist, marking the time. "Speaking of which, Lily should be coming home soon. Visiting hours can be extended for only so long, even with the influence of Freddie Lounds,"

She managed to stand as a wave of nausea and pain rippled her body, hiding the wince with a yawn. "Lounds?"

"She inquired if Lily could be present and give her input for Abigail Hobbs' book," Anna answered. Hannibal glanced at the hands she offered, gingerly lifting himself with minimal help from them. "While I am leery of Lounds knowing my residence, Lily seemed animated in going, and can handle herself."

He didn't ask her to stay.

Anna was not taken by surprise.

"Had you tried that Chinese place before?"  
"Yes. Upon inquiry, they permit customers to bring their own ingredients."

"Did you?"

A glaze had frosted his eyes and he smiled a thin-lipped sort of smirk: his only form of answer.

He kissed her passionately and broke away only enough to murmur against her swelling lips. "Until tomorrow, _gana Anna_."

* * *

She had wandered just how long she could get away without consequence.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter was, after all, not a man to be strung along, a toy tied at the joints.

Anna Astor received her answer upon arriving to a silent home, flickering on the lights of her bedroom.

The smooth, perfect skin of a cat lay over her pillow, black as ravens and free of anatomy.

* * *

Will Graham hadn't felt such a sense of clarity in ages.

_It was a dream. Those words, that confession. All just a hallucination from the_ _fever._

_Dr. Lecter sat across from him, enjoying the broth of his chicken soup. _

_"Is Anna alright?"_

_"But of course. Why would she not be?"_

_"Between the performance, the bodies, Gideon...Where was she that night after the ballet, do you know?"_

_The brown eyes of his psychiatrist and colleague took him in. Always polite, friendly. Honest. _

_"An-na was already home when you arrived on my doorstep. I asked her to remain upstairs so long as you were there, in fear of your state of mind. By the time you had left she had already fallen asleep, safe and sound in our bedroom."_

_His stomach twisted uncannily at the answer. _

A hallucination.

_'Nothing more than a hallucination.'_

* * *

pinterest dot com /pin/124341639682995813/


	56. Chapter 56

I hadn't planned on updating tonight, but the reviews really touched me. There was no way I _couldn't_, knowing people actually _enjoy_ my story. It's the most bizarre thing. Thank you everyone who reads it. Truly.

-_M_

* * *

It was killing her.

_"You have to tell him. You have to tell Hannibal and go to the doctor again, Anna. I can't watch you like this," Tears slipped from her pale face, shaking hands holding tightly to the mass of brown hair suspended over a porcelain bowl. The adjoining body quaked with heaves, hissing out into the toilet._

_"If-…If I do, he'll do everything in his power to terminate. He has enough degree to deem me unstable and institutionalized."_

_"He wouldn't do that, Anna! No matter how you pretend and deny it, he's in love with you; why can't you see that? Why must you be so stubborn?" Lily cried desperately. _

_Anna Astor's face rose to the ceiling, worn but relentless._

_"I know. Which is precisely why he would do it."_

Only small doses of morphine could be prescribed, numbing the pain for fractions of time.

Dulled her steps, numbed the skirts of her mind. Dr. Bedell smiled grimly, having accepted the small vial of blood Anna produced from her purse.

"We'll know soon enough. Have a good day, Ms. Astor."

The sound of a cell phone relayed slowly in her ears. In slow motion Anna caught the ringing, sliding it to answer.

_"Anna, they're connected."_

"What is, Will?" She answered warily. A couple was now curiously watching her. Anna hurried from the hospital entrance, fiddling with her keys.

_"The copycat killings. Cassie Boyle and Marissa, Sutcliffe and Georgia. They're all the same killer."_

A chill rose Anna spine, conscious awakening. _"I'm going back to Minnesota. I want to take Abigail with me."_

"For what purpose?"

_"To reenact the crime scenes, starting with the phone call-"_

"You've just recently been released from the hospital, Will. Do you really think-"

_"I want you to come with me."_

Will Graham listened to the slow inhale across the line.

Hesitant. Anna's soft exhale filled his ears, with one simple word of agreement. _"Okay."_

Hanging up the call,  
There was no way in mistaking the pain and effort into each syllable Anna Astor had spoken.

* * *

It was never one simple act that caused him to love her.

When she woke in the morning, lips always reddened from sleep, the small drying puddle of saliva soaked by a patch of his chest. Her quick, blushing embarrassment in the hurried act of wiping it away. How she ate and wrote and directed with her left hand rather than her right, the way her fingers moved through his hair when she read long into the night, body pushed up against the headboard to reach his face, glasses slipping down her nose when fatigue began to tug her lashes.

Her smile, her odious laugh. The absent way she fixed his tie every morning, fingers expert with far-off eyes, dreaming. When he walked in on her changing, the flustered action of covering herself always curling his lips. So easily being able to dive under his skin with one simple look and know full well what his reaction would be.

She kicked in her sleep and left his legs bruised unless trapped between his own; the sweetness and warmth of her smooth skin pressed to his. Her insecurities in what he found most beautiful about her; her polite, perfect façade in the public eye. How she breathed his name when his body filled hers, caressing him with such unbearable tenderness he thought he should die.

When she grabbed his jaw and brought his face before hers, anticipating his climax, watching him with those smiling, beautiful eyes, kissing him at the very last moment to swallow his moans and breathless noises.

The one single night he awoke from nightmares, shaking, fingers wrapped around her throat with a constricting force.

She did not run, fear him.

For the rest of the night she had remained awake, cradling him in suddenly impenetrable arms, listening to every detail of his life.

It was not a simple question of loving her or not: he did.  
Had it been anyone else he could have simply dismissed them, finished them off.

Anna Astor knew him better than most anyone. She was his best friend, the rock which solid foundation could be put down.

And now, it seemed to have all been turned to sand.

"Will has been losing time, An-na."

The figure bent over his desk paused.

She rose, a golden envelope held gingerly in both hands. Brunette hair swept haphazardly in a knot with escaping wisps, torso swallowed in navy chevron while a row of blue and gold sequins adorned the hem of a white dress bottom. Always so absurdly dressed, overly formal for no reason other than she liked it. "You're just telling me this now, because?"

"He has already visited, speaking of journeying to Minnesota once more. Judging the fact that you are here now, as well, I believe it's safe to assume you want to travel with him. Why else would your require your clearance papers?"

"My drive in going is only furthered by that information, Hannibal," His ample form did not relinquish access of the door and Anna glared hatefully. "Move."

"I cannot."

A sigh plumed her mouth. Anna Astor stilled, calmed, looked at him once more.

"Why did you murder Dr. Sutcliffe? Simply to frame Will?"

"May I ask why you've decided to question that now, out of everything?"

A cerulean gaze lowered, voice careful. "He was a colleague of yours. Normally, you don't kill people whom you get along with so well. It makes me curious as to why him. Why not a nurse in the building, perhaps."

"Not everything is black and white, Anna."

She looked at him suddenly, an undertone of something strange circling her eyes. Hannibal Lecter held her gaze, muscles unsure of what reaction he wanted.  
They twitched irritably, pulsing. "It's possible that I'm not as horrible as you imagine in that pretty little head of yours. That, God forbid, I've only ever wanted to protect you."

"_Protect_ me," Anna repeated. His face tightened and she laughed humorlessly.

"Protect me _how_, Hannibal? Killing and feeding me my own cat, alienating Will Graham? Igniting a trail to lead right to him for multiple murders? Allowing Will to believe he's suffering from a mental illness rather than physical, and veiling his symptoms even from me? And now you are saying Sutcliffe's murder was somehow for _my_ benefit?" Spindly fingers pushed at his chest, uselessly trying to move him. "Is this some sort of _game_? Your psychology won't work on me, Hannibal. I, unlike Will, do not suffer from any illnesses at the moment. Now please, _get out of my way_!"

"An-na," His accent broke her name in parts, expression masked.

Always the same impassive look, many walls fortified between his eyes and mind.  
Hands balled into fists, slamming into him, her breath a whispery pant as he began to unwillingly move.  
Anna assaulted until broad shoulders ricocheted against the wall and still she propelled, becoming more desperate with every gentle advance he would try to make towards her in retaliation. "Anna-"

"Do you think I _like_ pushing you away? Being this estranged psychotic fiancé of Dr. Lecter, who just can't seem to grasp reality?" Voice risen in volume, an octave higher. Anna went from shoving to slapping his chest, jaw, temple.

Hannibal Lecter's face twisted with a blow, jaw clenched, fueled in anger. He, too, found his bones quaking.

The hysterical brunette fell away when Hannibal suddenly began to hit himself instead, outweighing her blows with vigor. Inkwells of crystalline fluid spilled from her bright eyes and skin blotched red.

She was overflowing.  
Teeming with bottled emotion, no longer able to hide.

To stop the words of her mind from slipping from trembling lips.

"I think about you _every single second_ and miss you_ every hour _of the_ day_. I find myself wandering around my home looking for you because I have something to tell or show you, just want to hear your voice, and then realize you aren't there. And every time, _every single time_, it's as if someone's knocked the wind clear out of me. I miss simplicity. I miss being with you and not worrying about catching fire. I miss _you_, God damn it!"

Screaming, shaking.

His voice caught in the vibration of his heart.

"_Don't touch me_! Just _don't_, Hannibal!" The hand she now held up trembled, staggering back a few unbalanced steps. Anna gulped breaths and tried to still the tremors. "I love you to death, Hannibal Lecter. I want to be your wife. So tell me. Tell me everything, and what all this is, please. _Please_,"

"...You are going to miss your flight, An-na."

Marbleized.

Her face frozen in a half-lidded look of utter hopelessness.

Hannibal Lecter stood tall before her, unmoved.

Red lines from both his and her fingers were appearing along his skin like festering wounds, livened by her screaming and the anger coursing through his veins. "The aggregate of what you want to know lies within that envelope."

It took everything in his willpower to walk away.

To leave her there, shaking but in one piece, safe from his torn fury.

Having no idea how to handle her without breaking every bone in her wilted body, savoring the taste she would leave in his mouth.

Anna Astor fell to her knees and silently wept.

* * *

He had made bail.

Freed for mere hours before trail, one of which he knew would fall from his favor.

If he brought her to light, cast blame on her, she would in turn expose him of the torturous assassination he'd attempted.

Upon the scrutiny of her life, he realized she would now wield the FBI on her side of the line.

Either way he would meet a cold prison cell for a lifetime.

_"We've found her. She's on the move, Flight 122 to Minnesota. Do you wish us to proceed?"_

_"Is she alone?"_

_"Negative. Two companions: one female, teenage, and a man. Neither would be an interference."_

_"Leave her to me."_

Abirad Caldwell hung up the cellular phone, letting a stiff back fall against a cushioned seat.

Anna Astor had brought death upon his wife once more.

This time, he would return the favor himself.


	57. Chapter 57

I listen to a lot of Lana Del Rey and Florence + the Machine while I write, if anyone was wondering. Please give _Over the Love_ by Florence a listen. It's a really beautiful song that accompanied _The Great Gatsby._ As always, all reviews, followers, and favorites are appreciated. Enjoy! (Several parts are my version of quick-caps, where I don't feel the need to go into intimate detail of the happenings of each moment in _Hannibal_ episodes. If you are an avid watcher, it shouldn't be too difficult to follow...I hope.)

-_M_

* * *

_In, out._

_In…_  
_…Out._

Breathing steadied, gazing through the miniscule window at fading Baltimore, ascending over the swell of clouds.

It always amazed her.  
The stormy sky, shedding no light between interlocking grey.  
And then, risen above the brume, it was as if that life never existed. Only the golden kiss of sun, softening the edges of every marshmallow cloud, lining them.

A silver lining.  
Hope in a body of darkness.

Anna Astor glanced furtively to the right. Both Abigail and Will had fallen into a restless sleep, lids shut tightly over glossy orbs.

Having used her FBI badge and I.D. to board the plane, the smartly-folded parchment snug in the envelope had not gone unnoticed.

The envelope fell open with a few quick moves.

It fell into her hands, made of a rich grainy paper.

_If you are reading this, then you have indeed chosen to follow Will Graham to Minnesota._

She would recognize the articulate handwriting anywhere.

_Perhaps I have said nothing to stop you. Perhaps there's nothing I could have possibly said. I've never dealt with anything quite like you, mano Anna. I find myself scared of your reactions, constantly surprised by your genuine acceptance of myself. You are the only woman to ever enter my soul so completely. I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of expressing truths. I worship and love your body, but more importantly your mind. I want to undress your conscience and make love to your thoughts, to watch you slowly take down all the walls you've so carefully built up and allow me inside as you so easily could do to me. _

_I can feel you pushing me away, unwilling to share the secrets of your heart. While I cannot comprehend why, I hope you will one day see my true affections for you. The last instance I would ever want is for you to leave. I fear you would find it quite difficult, however, as I will follow you to the ends of the earth and drag you back to our very bed. You belong with me as much as I belong with you._

_You will more than likely question the death of Dr. Sutcliffe. I have foreseen this conversation. You will believe it was to hurt you by scorning Will Graham's credibility. While a goal all along has been to help good Will see the acceptance of death, murder, and come to grips with such matters, Dr. Sutcliffe was just coincidental fit perfectly into the plot. _

_The night you met and murdered Magrim Vulpiano, a fellow agent of Jack Crawford's, you did not go unnoticed. _

A coldness set into her bones, reading the sentence over once more.

Vulpiano had been a killing of her unconscious mind, tasteless and clumsy. The memory wafted her like a parasite. Swallowing, every hair on her spine raised, she continued:

_Dr. Donald Sutcliffe dined in the very restaurant you met agent Vulpiano. Upon seeing you in my home, coming in late from a dance practice, the memory resurfaced of that night. Unfortunate for him, it was the very day Magrim Vulpiano was registered missing in the local papers, along with questions of his last whereabouts. _

_Dr. Sutcliffe would have brought this to everyone's attention sooner or later, and noted you as Vulpiano's last known encounter. _

_Because of this, I did what I felt necessary to protect your name._

_I could not permit you knowledge of Will's mentality in the case of his arrest. Your understanding of his symptoms must be vague in order to sustain the genuinity of your reactions. By the time you've read this, I will already have revealed his unstable behaviors to Jack. Forgive my reluctance to inform you. Every precaution has only been to protect you, Anna._

_I am not a man of out-spoken emotion. I cannot openly express my affections for you as others could, perhaps. But surely you must know the depths of my love for you. Enough to want to change your name to match my own. Enough to allow you to leave me when all I want is to smother you from the world. _

_I hope you come home, return to me. I hope you understand the meaning you hold and the complete control of my body and mind you possess._

_H. Lecter._

Anna Astor ripped the letter to ribbons.

Stuffed it into her empty cup and smiled at the stewardess who accepted it.

"Anna? Anna, what's wrong?" Abigail Hobbs had awoken, stirring the conscious of Will Graham.

The brunette, silver linings flowing from either eye once more, laughed.

"Here I've gotten on this bloody plane, thinking the place I needed to be most was Minnesota with you two, when it's truly the last place I want to be," said Anna with an astounded chuckle. She fell back in her seat with a shake of her head.

"When the flight lands, I will be returning home immediately. You two should continue to the cabin and Hobbs' residence."

"But why?" asked Will warily. Dr. Astor painlessly smiled for the first time in months.

"I'm needed at home. A very handsome man is waiting for me to eat my words."

* * *

Confident steps, trading airline tickets for the next flight to Baltimore.

Her fear melted with the memorized words of his letter, fluttering beneath her eyelids with every slow blink.

Anna Astor, so terrified of Hannibal Lecter's reaction not only to her pregnancy, but to the idea of the father.

Marking the beginning of her fourth month of pregnancy, the conception date could fall anywhere between their first night together,

And her kidnapping.

* * *

"I was the lure."

It was a hallucination: it had to be.

Abigail Hobbs gasped, risen on talons.

She helped, she had _helped him_.  
_She had been the bait_.

"Sir? Sir, we're clearing for the next flight. I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

* * *

"How many people have you killed?"

"Many more than your father."

Holding her cold face in his hands, rubbing a thumb across her cheek.

Abigail Hobbs' fear was immediate, tangible. "Abigail, tell me where An-na is."

"W-We left her at the airport. I went to grab a taxi and when I came back, Will was alone. Are-…Are you going to kill me?"

Usefulness depleted, a loose thread in the quilt.

There were no alternative options for the sole Hobbs survivor.

Hannibal Lecter breathed a sigh, stroked her pale skin with regret.

_"I'm so sorry."_

* * *

He had thrown up an ear.

Pill a pearl against the curved skin in his sink, ushering out his sanity.

No one else to call, to turn to.  
The fear of his reaction simmered, savored the thought of perhaps not asking Him to come.

_What other choice do I have._

"Anna and Abigail went to Minnesota as well. When I came back…They weren't with me,"

Hannibal scrutinized the ear, asked every necessary question concerning Abigail Hobbs.

At last a low, accented voice brought forth the fear resonating his heart.

"When did you last see An-na, Will. Where is she?"

A shutter breath, a quake in his hands.

_"I don't know."_

* * *

He could accept the idea of her running.

Of not opening his letter, understanding its contents.

It would be only a matter of time before she unconsciously made herself aware in public.  
Allowed him to catch her intoxicating scent, arrive as a predatorial beast and sink his teeth into her once more.

It was difficult and reluctant to accept, but not impossible.

Feigning tears for Du Maurier, quoting his calm worry over Anna Astor.

_"While I am torn by her disappearance, An-na is a very capable woman, more so than she was in previous months. I do not believe Will has the mentality to harm An-na, nor the physical capability any longer."_

All of Hannibal Lecter's resolution fell to dust with Jack Crawford's call.

_"They searched Will. Anna's engagement ring was in his front pocket, covered in blood they've identified as her own." _

* * *

Instead of the simple, classy leather chairs sat only cold steel, a fold-up table between them.

Hannibal Lecter looked miserable, at best.

Pallor colorless, skin stretched cellophane across the broad planes of his face.  
The coursing vein on his temple ran full, a tick in his clenched jaw, attempting calm.

"Where is my fiance, Will."

"The last I saw her she was boarding a plane home as soon as our flight landed."

"The same way you saw Abigail Hobbs leave you at the cabin? And where is she now, Will?"

"Tell me Dr. Lecter, did you have as many secrets from her as she did from you?"

His breathing had quickened. Hannibal forced his lips from the grimace, teeth bared for only a second.  
_Had_. Will spoke in _past tense_.  
Head tilted, brown eyes cast to the table. In his psychiatric way Hannibal continued, "You would have had no reason to kill An-na. Nowhere does she fit into Garret Jacob Hobbs persona, so I simply wish to understand. Perhaps these events did not unfold how your mind has pictured them to."

"I know what is real and what isn't. Anna left for the southern gate to return back to Baltimore, unscathed. I didn't touch her."

"Then do explain why my wife's ring was in your pocket, Will."

It was the first time Will Graham looked him straight in the eye.

A sort of defeated, sneering blankness, the light of his bright orbs simmering beneath the surface.

_She's already begun. She's planted the thought in his mind to fester and grow. _

_To empathize._

"Anna isn't your wife yet, Dr. Lecter. She might never be now."

_"Dr. Lecter!"_  
_"Hannibal, stop!"_

Their calls met deadened ears, the damage already inflicted.

Hannibal Lecter stood, colossal, breath a heavy burden.

Will Graham's blood dotted his bruising knuckles like slick rubies.

"I'm-…I'm sorry. That was completely unprofessional-"

Jack Crawford interrupted with a wave of his hand. Grimly he glanced at the surprised doctor staring at his fist, awe apparent.

"Go home, Dr. Lecter. There's nothing more you can do tonight."

* * *

It had been days.

Hazing in and out of consciousness.

Blood loss overwhelming.

Everything seared, tortured her senses.

It spiked her scalp, burned her skin.

Handcuffed, dress torn and bloody, Anna Astor waited for the return of Abirad Caldwell.

They would never suspect him with all the careful evidence turned to Will Graham, merged with the little to no connection she shared with Mr. Caldwell.

A mask of impassiveness well-learned from her counterpart remained adamant upon her face through it all.

Her body was disposable; a protective shell guarding a precious yolk.

_So long as he doesn't know, doesn't scrutinize, it'll be safe. _

_We'll be safe._

Anna Astor inhaled a deep breath and sat straight in the hard wooden chair, delving into the swelling thoughts of what would be her macabre escape.

An opening presented itself the next day.

She was dehydrated, starved.  
Caldwell had wanted to take his sweet time. Empty her first, beat into her skin visible wounds so that she could watch herself decay and crumble.

Then and only then, would he begin the slow torture of Anna Astor.

"You know, I had rather hoped you had learned your lesson before. It's not every day a woman is beaten and raped by captives," He sneered. Wary eyes just caught the glimmer of a falling sun behind his back, the fresh pine smell.

_We're still in Minnesota._

"But not you, never you." A fearsome grip clenched her hair, brought a bloody face to his. Abirad murmured softly. "You just don't know when to quit, Anna."

He traced a pomegranate lip with his thumb, combed through her tangled, greasy hair.

"Catharine had beautiful hair, too. Deeper in color, though. Such a vibrant red. Perhaps we could get yours to match,"

White doused Anna's bleak vision as the point of a blade dug into her skin, sawing the hair line at the nape of her neck. The attack sent screams up through her nervous system, crashing, lolling her.

_He's going to scalp me. He's going to fucking scalp me._

"Wake up!" Abirad Caldwell roared, delivering a blow to the frail woman's stomach.

It was the very first scream Anna Astor released, and the very last.


	58. Chapter 58

Please forgive my impeccable laziness and delay. The end is near...Or is it?

-_M_

* * *

She had been his redemption.

A holy being of pure innocence, beauty.

Smile able to set a thousand ships to sail, a carved body more perfect than Venus.

Kind, generous: the most loving woman he had ever set eyes upon.

_"I'm pregnant. We're-…We're going to have a baby," She had wept, bright eyes overflowing with joy and laughter. _

A father. He was going to be a _father_.

The day came, her swollen belly ripened as summertime fruit.

The grip held on his hand could have rivaled Sampson, matched with the same deep determination.

Pacing, shaking.

Her cries woke the dead, whisper fingers sliding between the cracks of linoleum, reaching for her porcelain body.

_"I must ask you to leave the room, sir. Complications have arose. The head surgeon should be on her way."_

Whirling his wife on a gurney, assistants on each side. His lean frame followed, snaked between staggering arms to the glass.

_"Get out of the way!"_ A gruff voice demanded, knocking him from their path.  
He retaliated, released his fist with a mighty blow.

Missing the masculine nurse, connecting instead with a soft, masked face.

The woman met the hard floor without a sound, blue cap falling from her head.

A mass of dark, curling hair unveiled, dusting the floor like spilled molasses.

He stilled, viewed her rise in silence. A sea of blue and white closed in and the willowy figure brushed them aside.

She watched through the glass as his wife screamed before turning to him.  
A patch of white masked her lips and nurses had netted the cap back onto her scalp, leaving visible only a set of impassively cool, cerulean eyes.

_"You may have just cost your wife and child their lives."_

Catharine had only been a distraction of life.  
Picked by convenience, vanity.

Beautiful, but not in the way Lana Caldwell had been.

It was his first wife that led him to the murder attempts of the jaded, bright-eyed doctor, with the thin mouth and carved jaw.  
The woman who so apathetically plucked the blue body from his wife and discarded it to another without a single glance.

Who could not revive his dear Lana after too much hemorrhaging, too far gone.

He watched her for weeks, months.

Nothing but an orphan. No spouse, easily spotted significant other, sibling deceased. One young niece studying in France, location of their ethnic background and exact coordinates unknown.

Traveling from work to a home residence every day, night.  
No friends, nothing outside of her occupation.  
Polite and empty as a living doll.

She now sat in a lone wooden chair, beauty lost beneath blossomed bruises. Her arms wrapped awkwardly behind the ever-perfect posture of her spine, wrists adorning matching silver bracelets, scalp bloody from the beginnings of a scalping.

_That would have been too quick. Even now the bleeding might take her too soon._

Abirad Caldwell knelt before her. Those cerulean eyes from long ago held the same apathy as the day she allowed his family to die.

"Have I bored you, Dr. Astor?" His accent was dusted in a foreign slant and the captive's interest piqued absently. A rough hand suddenly clenched her jaw though Abirad's words came softly. "Is my torture…Not enough? I so hoped it would be like this. You, so unwilling to show weakness, forcing me into more extreme…measures. Always testing me aren't you, pet," Abirad murmured, stroking her gaunt face. "But there's always a fine line; a crack in the shell. You allowed yours to be seen with that last blow to the stomach. What are you hiding, little Anna?"

It had all come to this moment.

Fingers already bloody, several broken, Abirad Caldwell took no notice of the trickling blood from behind the chair.

_A miscalculation you shall pay greatly for._

With the blissful _click_ of the lock one bruised wrist found freedom. The cuff reopened, willing for a purpose once more.

Anna Astor wasted no time in accomplishing this wish.

Abirad let out a surprised roar as a viper's arm moved, smashing the metal of her imprisonment across his face.  
In a fluid moment the cuff came whirring back, the curl led by her few working fingers.  
It caught Abirad's mouth like a fishhook, tearing his cheek away from clenched teeth before the man could react.

Anna lured the flesh closer,  
and sunk her teeth into the stretched skin.

He screamed, attempted to pull away. When he succeeded, a large portion of his face still hung between the pearly teeth of Dr. Anna Astor.

"You were a fool, Abirad, not to kill us when you had the chance," Spoke a silky voice.

Panting, writhing on the floor as the woman made quick work of the ropes snaked around her ankles.  
Anna stood gracefully, wiping at her tattered dress. The last finger of her right hand spouted blood like a faucet, though she didn't seem to feel pain. _She splintered the nail of her pinky and used it to pick the lock._

"_Us_, you ask," She continued, rolling her neck with sickening pops. "_Us_, as in more than one entity in this broken body?" She raked bloodied hair off her forehead, let loose a low laugh. Moving with dancer skill the brunette fell into a side split, one pointed leg dipping under his sprawled bicep.

Before Caldwell could move away a hurtling forced came across his forearm, shattering bone and cartilage like glass.

A bloodcurdling scream began, ending only when sharp fingers found his open bite wound, digging through the tough muscle.

"It would be best for you to lie still. You haven't much time to waste."

Anna Astor sighed, stood, marveling at the glossy liquid coating two fingers.

"There are some who are appalled by the thought of murder, and others who go through with it because of scorned motives. And I think, _must_ there be a reason? Is curiosity, the thrill, not enough of an answer?"

A velvet tongue decadently found the blood in one fluid movement.

_Us,_ though. I am not speaking of the little creature in our belly, oh no. I'm talking about _me_,"

Abirad could barely concentrate with the pain circling his senses, but the woman seemed adamant on holding his attention. She wandered the room carelessly, spotting one of her shoes on a dirty table.

"What-…What the fuck, are you…talking about?" He panted. Anna had yet to notice the weapon tucked in his right pants pocket._ She's broken that arm. I'll have to reach across completely for it._

"It took her a while, to catch on. To call me. Need me." Dr. Astor ran a finger down the pale heel of the shoe, perfectly calm. "When her father pushed us too far, ordered every little kid finger to remain straight on ivory keys as he slammed the piano lid down upon them, I came. I, produced from her hatred and fear."

Finding the other she put the heels on, walking with a strange limp back towards him. Unable to escape, Abirad could only produce a sheer scream as the woman nonchalantly stomped the point of one shoe into his stomach.

"It has never been completely proven, you know. Dissociative Identity Disorder. It hasn't even been proven that the two personalities can be aware of one another." A cold smile reached all the way to her blue eyes with the end of her sentence.

"But _we_ are."

With all his might the captor-now-captive reached across his body for his gun. Fingers grazing cold metal, curling into the trigger.

The sonic boom of a gunshot vibrated the walls, ceiling, floor.

Blood flowed a smooth fountain from Abirad Caldwell's body.

_It was all anticipated. Just a sick game of cat and mouse between a pair of old friends._

Her lips to a cold, deafened ear, reading his last rights.

"When Anna needs to be protected, feels fear, I come as swift and dark as night, fit into her persona as a leather glove clenched around shaking fingers. To ease her conscious and rid the world of her problems. When you touched her precious stomach, rattled that petty fetus in there, she relinquished her mind to me. Just as you did with your wife and your child, Abirad, you have caused another life to end: yours. You were responsible for Lana Caldwell's last sigh, for that blue-lipped baby-"

"No," His groan reached louder than her whispers, denying her words with his dying breath. The last warmth Abirad would ever feel was Anna Astor's lips upon his skin.

_"You've lost, everything, and can blame no one but yourself."_

* * *

Will Graham had figured it out at last.

Two predators in a single room, learned of the treacherous past of the other.

"She knew, she _knew_." It was a desperate hiss, shaking hands prisoner to the cold metal clutched between them.

Hannibal Lecter didn't seem the slightest bit fazed.

"Yes."

"She knew, and fled. She was _right_. She saw you for what you_ truly are_. From the very first morning, when your hand fell over hers. When she left the room no more than a startled deer running from the hunter. She _knew_."

"Yes."

Will Graham was frozen, mind an inflamed patch in his skull. "Th-That night. Anna followed us to Alana Bloom's home because she knew Gideon would tell me. She _anticipated_ it, knowing that Gideon cared too deeply for her than to let the knowledge die with him. Anna wanted me to know, so I…So I would _empathize_."

The first recollection of sanity warmed Will Graham's eyes. His hands no longer quaked.

"So I would _understand_. Anna had me fill your role in her life. Cooking, conversation, intimacy. All along, it had been for _you_. To understand the humanity in a _murderer_."

Will looked overly stunned. "It was never about her. It was all for _you_."

Agent Graham raised the gun, took a steady aim with a certain determination never accomplished before.

"The scales have fallen from my eyes_. I can see you now."_

* * *

_"How many times must I say, the note is flat?" An angry voice rumbled in French. _

_Two children sat, side by side, the opposite image of the other. _

_One, astutely blonde, staring blankly at the music before her. The other, smaller, with a head of deep chestnut, timidly looking up to their father. "How many times? How many fucking times?"_

_Unharmonious notes rang when four small hands were pressed against the piano keys. _  
_An instant later screaming rattled the room, drowning the sound of breaking bone beneath the wooden covering of the piano._

_The one child remained staring straight ahead. _  
_She had not screamed, attempted to pull away._  
_Completely unbothered._

_"Has little Anna grown a spine, then? Tired of mean old daddy's taunts?" _

_Dragging her to stocking feet, lolled head watching the floor. Her sister remained silent, frozen in horror._  
_"Do you hear me, you fucking piece of garbage? Hear me speaking to you? Look at me. Look. At. Me." _

_His grip loosened momentarily. "You are just as pathetic as that coward mother of yours."_

_At last the child looked up. _  
_Sharp. _  
_Enraged. _

_The heel of a small hand uprooted his nose, and shattered the cartilage completely._

_Olivier Astor fell back, howling, cursing._

_The girl looked at the little splatters dripped onto her skin like cherry syrup, glossy and perfect. _

_Her mouth open to breath, swaying. _

_She looked up, found the blue eyes of her sister, and ignited a soft sort of smile._

_"Would you like to play once more? I won't miss the note again. Promise."_

There were only three she was never permitted to kill.

The first grew alongside her, in her very presence when She emerged.  
One of love and understanding, who had known the pain and strife inflicted by their parents.

One who led them to the acceptance of violence.

The next was nothing less than a child.  
Green, vulnerable.  
Gideon had needlessly emptied her, fearful of her other personality. Of losing herself to the black, unable to control the urge of silencing Lily Astor forever.

It would have never occurred. The violent chaos behind her eyes, though ever insatiable, knew better than to harm someone so impeccably close to the dominant host.

The last, newest addition to the list came in the form of a man.

Unable to harm him, She looked elsewhere. Escaping the normal day life, carelessly choosing others to kill in his place.

He soothed her soul and consumed her heart, set fire to every desire lost in her tortured mind. An electricity pulling her forth, producing hyperaware senses to every move he made, every gentle touch.

He loved and scared her to the point where her mind was forced to collaborate; a task never attempted before.

When Anna lost herself to violence, it blackened her.  
Only after could she piece together the happenings, as if waking immediately from a dream and trying to recapture it.

No one had ever quite gotten to her as Hannibal Lecter had.

_'He scares you. You are four months pregnant and haven't even told him in fear he'll kill it, or you.'_ The silky voice began, slipping into her conscious like an unwanted parasite. Anna Astor paused, shook her numb head.

_'I've merely waited for the right time. I was never afraid of him killing his own child-'_

_'And if it isn't? If in the germination period they missed your pregnancy, and it turns out to be the captors?'_

_'…Then you can take over, and help him exterminate.'_

_'He will think you rude for hiding from him. He might not be so forgiving. He could simply kill you either way.'_

"I don't care," Pale lips breathed, swinging open the heavy metal door.

Crisp night air caressed her skin, livened her senses.

She was still in Minnesota.  
She was near Hobbs.

_'He could still be there, now. Will surely would come back to understand, and drag Hannibal with him. I could go. I could save him-'_

_'You need to go to the hospital. You are dying from blood loss, as your child surely is.' _

Anna Astor fled into the night, staggering on beaten legs and helium lungs.

_'What do you care for most: the child...or Hannibal Lecter?'_


End file.
